Streetfighters
by Valiantgloom
Summary: Weiss Schnee is driving home when her car breaks down in a bad neighborhood. While attempting to fix it she is accosted by a couple of thugs, and is rescued by Ruby. Ruby may be small,but she can handle herself in a fight. Weiss and Ruby part ways after the rescue, but they both can't help but think of each other. This is my first fanfiction. Whiterose and slight slowburn.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hi there. I'm new to fanfiction, and I just wanted to say a few words of introduction. I only recently started reading fanfiction, and now I'm hooked. I decided I would try and write some as well, but this is more nerve wracking than I thought it would be. I do not let other people read what I write, but I decided that I would take the leap and submit something here. This story is very rough right now, so please give it a chance for a few chapters before deciding if you like it or not. I'm not sure how this all works so if there is any advice or tips you guys could give me I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you :)**

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Weiss stepped out of her powder blue BMW with a heavy sigh. Reaching in to pop the hood of the car she surreptitiously glances around the dingy, beaten down neighborhood warily.

 _This is the last time I listen to the GPS when it says there is a faster alternate route,_ she thought, _an extra twenty minutes won't kill me, but something in this neighborhood might._

Managing to find the latch on the hood to make it lift she quickly stepped back as a hot plume of steam rises from the engine. _That's just great,_ she glared at the car as it continued to steam. All she wanted was to get out of this neighborhood and get to her house so she could go to bed. School started in two days and she just got done driving for close to thirteen hours straight.

Hoping that fixing a car couldn't be that hard she hesitantly moved closer to take a look. Reaching in she rested her hand on something and instantly jerked her arm back with a small gasp as she burned her fingers. _Son of a-!_

Irritated that she did something so obviously stupid she glared down at her still stinging fingers. If she couldn't fix the car then that meant she would have to wait here until someone came to get her. She didn't really have a choice, but that didn't mean the situation didn't suck.

Moving back to the driver's side door to retrieve her phone she finally noticed that there were a few people gathered along the street and were looking her way. _Like cockroaches coming out of the woodwork,_ she thought as she quickly picked up the phone to call a towing service that might still be open this late at night. _Father is going to be upset that I got myself into this mess._

Before she had a chance to begin dialing a voice directly behind her made her jump in shock.

"Hey there pretty thing! Do ya need a little help?"

Whirling around as unpleasant shivers ran up her spine she faced two dirty boys in torn t-shirts and baggy, ripped jeans. They were grinning at her with amusement as she tried to back away but was trapped between them and her car. She assumed the taller one was the one who had spoken to her, and she that he was missing his front incisor and a bottom canine tooth, almost putting her in mind of a Jack o' Lantern. It didn't help that the dim glow coming from a nearby streetlight turned his teeth a sickly yellow color.

"I'm doing just fine, thank you, so you can leave me alone," she said frostily. She gave them her best icy glare. She refused to be intimidated by these scum!

"Don't be like that," said the second boy as he shifted slightly closer to her. "We just want to help, right Jim?"

Jim grinned even bigger and Weiss saw that he was also missing a few teeth.

"Right ,Joe! Of course, help don' come for free, right? Snowflake here looks like she could be willing to pay for a bit of help right now."

Weiss rolled her eyes at the snowflake remark. She got it, she was pale and had white hair. Honestly, the lack of brain cells present was apparent.

Moving so that she was toe to toe with Jim she looked up into his greasy face. " 'Snowflake' here does not need any help. Especially not from some gap toothed thugs who feel that they both need to gang up on me to intimidate me. You don't know who you're speaking to!" She accentuated that last statement with a shove into Jim's chest, but the boy barely moved back even an inch.

The smarmy grins now gone from their faces they scowled at the tiny girl who was now trying to shove past them in a huff. Joe grabbed her with a dirt stained hand and pushed her into the side of her car with a small thud.

"How dare you-!" she began, but Jim reached out a tangled his hand in the front of Weiss's shirt and jerked her off balance, cutting off her sentence. Beginning to feel real fear set in she tried to wrestle Jim's hand out of her shirt.

"That wasn't very nice Snowflake," Jim said "You really hurt our feelings there."

"Yeah," piped in Joe "We were only offering to help you out a little. We just wanted a little payment for our services is all."

Jim lifted her by her shirt until she was just able to touch her toes to the ground. Suddenly his other hand was at her waist and began to slide up her side. "Maybe we can just take our payment some other way."

Her eyes widened in outrage and she began to kick at him as best she could in her position. Both boys grinned at her struggles and began to run their hands over her clothes. Angry and scared she was about to try and claw at both their faces, but suddenly a heavy combat boot came in over Weiss's head and smashed into Jim's face.

"ARRRGH-!" Jim cried as he let Weiss go to clutch at his broken nose as he backed away from whatever had hit him. Without Jim holding her up, she fell to the ground in a heap, scraping both her palms on the asphalt.

A small figure landed lightly in front of Weiss and nonchalantly put its hands inside the oversized red hoodie it was wearing. Joe, who had taken a few steps back in surprise when Jim had been hit, began to charge at the newcomer like a linebacker. Before he even got with striking distance, however, another figure dashed in out of seemingly nowhere and upper- cutted the boy right in the solar plexus. Joe fell to ground and puked up the contents of his stomach.

"How many more of your teeth am I gonna have to knock out before you learn to stop messing with people?" The smaller figure cocked out a hip as it spoke and Weiss realized that her rescuer was a very petite girl and not a slim boy as she had first appeared.

Weiss gaped up at the small girl, not believing that this was the person who had apparently somehow jumped over the roof of her car to plant a solid kick to the cretins face. _She looks shorter than I do! She can only be 5'2 at the most,_ she thought with a wince as she slowly climbed back to her feet. Her palms stung and she could see that her once pristine white top was now stretched in the front and stained with whatever grime had been on Joe's hands.

Suddenly the larger figure that had taken out Jim rushed to the small girl's side. "Ruby! I told you to not get involved! Why can't you listen to me when I tell you not to do something stupid!?"

Ruby sighed and resisted rolling her eyes. She knew better than to push her sister too far. "Yaaang," she whined. "It's only Slow Joe and Dim Jim. Taking these guys out is a piece of cake!"

Yang glared down at her younger sister with barely controlled temper. She hated it when Ruby purposefully put herself in situations where she might get hurt. Yang finger combed her wild mass of blonde hair away from her face and growled in frustration. "I don't care if Joe is as dumb as a rock! You are not allowed to rush into dangerous situations like that."

"I'M STANDING RIGHT HERE!" roared Joe as he waved his arms to catch the attention of the sisters. He hated these two. Always acting so damn untouchable and unconcerned.

Two pairs of eyes blinked at him blankly; one silver pair, the other a light purple. They had forgotten he was even there!

Blood still gushing out of his now noticeably crooked nose he rushed at the two girls with a feral snarl on his face. Before Yang could stop her, Ruby rushed forward to meet the thug halfway. She kicked out while still in motion and hit Joe's knee straight on causing his forward momentum to be stopped. He stumbled like he had missed the last step on a staircase and Ruby grabbed hold of one flailing arm while hooking one foot on Joe's leg. Ruby unceremoniously pulled him completely off balance and he ended up on the ground with her knee digging painfully into his lower back.

Joe barely noticed the pain in his back though as fresh agony bloomed from his face that had hit the street. He groaned and focused on not passing out.

Weiss couldn't believe it. The small girl had been in control of every motion of that fall, and she had made it look effortless! Joe was easily a foot taller and a good eighty pounds heavier, yet he was on the ground and showed no signs of wanting to get back up soon. Jim was similarly positioned, but he was focused on not gagging as the pain in his stomach was slowly ebbing away.

Ruby started to walk towards her obviously fuming sister and noticed the white haired girl staring at her. Slightly flustered at the intensity of the other girls crystalline blue eyes she focused on her sister instead who was gritting her teeth in obvious aggravation.

Yang was too tired to deal with Ruby's need for a fight. She had had a bad night and all she wanted was to go home and go to bed. "Home. Now." She said as calmly as possible while pointing in a general direction down the street.

Ruby only cleared her throat in response and jerked her head in Weiss's direction. Yang barely glanced at the girl. "She's not our problem."

Ruby frowned and Weiss straightened with offense at the blonde's rudeness.

"Yang just see if you can fix her car and then I promise I will go home with no complaints."

Weiss suddenly spoke up for the first time since the pair had shown up. "No, thank you, but I wouldn't dream of being such a bother." Her tone was laden with barely suppressed sarcasm and indignation.

Yang looked at Ruby's expectant face and sighed internally. She looked at Jim and Joe still lying on the ground where they had left them. She moved and nudged Jim in his side with her foot. "Pick up your friend and get the hell out of here. I don't want to have to deal with you clowns again tonight."

Jim may not be very bright, but he was good at self-preservation and did as he was told. Legs a little shaky he managed to get Joe on his feet and they both hobbled away.

Weiss frowned hard at the blonde's back. She didn't understand what her problem was. Suddenly the tall girl turned and stomped over to the front of Weiss's car. Before she could protest Yang had already rolled up the sleeves to her snug black and beige jacket and had her hands in the cars mechanics.

"Don't worry, Yang is pretty good with stuff like this. She can fix most things with an engine as long as the problem isn't too bad."

Weiss jumped as she noticed that the girl Ruby was standing right next to her. _When did she get so close?_

Weiss finally got a good look at her tiny rescuer in the dim light and the only way she could describe the girl was pixie-like. Petite and slim her features were dainty, and her eyes were huge pools of mesmerizing silver. She had chin length brown hair with red at the ends that looked very striking against her pale skin.

As Weiss was looking at Ruby the smaller girl was also getting her first good look at the girl in white. Ruby had never seen anyone with hair and skin that was so white. The slightly taller girl had a scar on her left eye, and it seemed to Ruby to be the only imperfection the girl had.

Weiss realized that she had yet to say anything to the girl in front of her because she had been too busy staring at her. Embarrassed she cleared her throat.

"Hello…Ruby, was it? My name is Weiss. Thank you for saving me from those men."

Ruby just gave a slight nod in acknowledgment of the gratitude. "They may seem dangerous, but their threats were pretty empty. They wouldn't have known what to do with you after a few minutes and prob'ly would have just roughed you up a bit before wandering off."

Weiss wasn't sure if that was supposed to be comforting or not. How much did she consider 'roughed up a bit?'

"Well I am glad that I did not need to find out what it feels like to be 'roughed up'."

The blonde at Weiss's car gave a soft snort and rolled her eyes. "If you don' wanna get roughed up then you shouldn't come around this neighborhood. Especially when it's obvious you have the strength of a cooked noodle." Yang paused and glared briefly at Weiss. "Then my sister wouldn't feel the need to put herself in harm's way to save you from the absolute most incompetent thugs you will ever meet."

Weiss gritted her teeth as the blonde continued to fiddle around under the hood after saying her piece. She was insulting her, she just knew it.

Ruby could tell that Weiss was becoming upset, and Yang was already upset and was doing her best to make sure everyone knew it.

"Yang," she said with a sigh. "You just said that they were most incompetent thugs ever. I don't know why you are so upset with me helping Weiss."

Yang just glared at Ruby and began mumbling under her breath while she continued to work on the expensive looking BMW.

Weiss rubbed her forehead tiredly. She just wanted to go home and sleep. She didn't want to deal with anymore dirty thugs, and angry sisters or adorable, fighting pixies.

"Hey, Rubes? Could you get me some water? Enough to fill a half gallon of milk if you can." Yang stepped back from the car and wiped her dirty hands on her ragged jeans. Ruby didn't bother to reply and simply sped off down an alley to find some water.

Weiss watched her speed off and sighed. _Just me and the angry one. Wonderful._

Yang and Weiss eyed each other warily, both finding the others presence aggravating for different reasons. Yang was still upset that Ruby put herself in harm's way and she blamed Weiss for needing to be saved in the first place. She knew it was irrational, but Ruby was all she had and the thought of her getting hurt was unacceptable.

Weiss looked away from the tall blonde and stared down at her scraped and bloody hands. They were starting to sting, but Weiss didn't have anything with her to cover her hands with. Yang noticed the condition of Weiss's hands and sighed heavily.

Yang may have a short temper, but she was also kind hearted. Knowing that Weiss was not at fault for anything that happened tonight and then seeing her hurt made all the anger leave Yang. Now she was just tired. Yang looked down her already worn and torn white t-shirt and started ripping thin strips off the bottom. _It's clean enough I guess,_ she thought.

Weiss was startled when Yang began tearing at her clothing. "What are you doing?!"

Yang had grabbed one of Weiss's slender wrists and began to wrap the cloth over her bloody palms. "It's better than nothing, right?" Yang gave Weiss a small grin, which startled her even more. What was with the sudden mood swing?

Both of Weiss's hands now decently covered Yang looked down at her uneven shirt and simply bunched the rest of it under her breasts and tied it off to one side. Weiss looked at Yang's exposed stomach in shock. She briefly noticed that Yang had toned muscles on her abdomen as well as her arms, but what grabbed her attention were the dark purple bruises that marred her skin. Some bruises looked new, but there were others that were fading into that sickly yellow and green color around the edges. Weiss could only imagine how painful and sore they must be, but Yang had never given any indication that she felt any discomfort.

Yang cleared her throat loudly, and Weiss guiltily looked up at her.

Normally Yang would have teased her for getting caught staring at her, but she felt too tired and knew that the girl was only curious about the extensive bruising on her stomach.

Before Weiss could stumble out an apology Ruby came running back through the alley way carrying a jug half filled with water. Silently padding up to the pair she handed the jug to Yang who took it with a big grin. Yang reached out with her other hand and ruffled Ruby's hair. "Thanks sis. We'll have Snowflake out of here in no time!"

"Don't call me Snowflake!" Weiss glared at the sisters as they laughed at her. She couldn't wait for this night to end.

Yang returned the car and Ruby stood beside Weiss once again. "Your radiator has a crack in it. All the water leaked out and your engine got too hot. It's not so bad, so this amount of water should at least last long enough to get you to a shop at least," Yang explained as she poured the water into her car.

Ruby grinned up at Weiss. "I told you she could fix it."

Weiss stared at Ruby. This was the first time Weiss had seen so much emotion on her face the whole night. Ruby had a big smile on her face now, and her silver eyes were lit up in happiness. _She looks so young right now and…adorable._

Blinking at that thought she quickly looked away and felt a small blush rise in her cheeks. _What's wrong with me? Why am I embarrassed?_

Ruby didn't appear to notice, much to Weiss's relief. As soon as Yang had lowered the hoof her car she was saying her thanks and getting in behind the wheel. It had been a strange evening and she just wanted to get home where there were no confusing emotions to deal with.

Yang leaned down to see onto the window as Weiss started her car. Weiss let out an audible sigh of relief when the engine turned over and started. "It was nice to rescue you Weiss," Yang said with a grin. "It's best to avoid neighborhoods like this unless you can defend yourself a bit. Try and build up some strength in those noodle arms of yours."

Yang laughed as Weiss glared at her in annoyance. "Say good-bye Ruby. It's way past our bedtime."

Ruby walked up to the open window as Yang began to walk down the street towards home. Weiss softened her glare and looked at Ruby. "Thank you for helping me. I don't know what I would have done had you not stopped to help."

Ruby just shook her head. "Happy to help. Get home safe Weiss." With that Ruby started to walk away as well, but Weiss saw her stop after a few steps. Ruby came back to the window and flashed Weiss a smile that was pure mischief. "You're really cute when you blush, Snowflake," she said. Her grin grew when Weiss's cheeks immediately turned pink. Not giving Weiss time to answer Ruby jogged away from the car and made her way to catch up with Yang.

Weiss rolled up her window and pressed her hands to her hot cheeks. _What was that? How could she say that?! That…that…that dolt!_

Weiss drove home in a daze. She didn't know what to think about the two sisters who rescued her tonight. Yang was at first angry and abrasive, then suddenly turned kind and teasing. Ruby first appeared relatively mature and somewhat somber, but then suddenly turned mischievous. Arriving home and sneaking through the house so she didn't wake up her father or her sister she decided she was too tired for a shower and just striped off her dirty clothing before falling into bed. Her last thought before she fell asleep was that Ruby had looked really cute when she smiled.

Ruby and Yang had made it home and were also preparing for bed. The apartment they lived in was tiny so they shared the only bedroom. Yang promised Ruby that she hadn't forgotten that she was still upset with her for rushing into a fight. Declaring she would yell at her in the morning, Yang fell onto the bed they shared with a groan and promptly fell asleep.

Ruby gazed down at her sister with concern. Yang may not complain, but Ruby knew that she was in a fair amount of pain. Yang was a fighter in an underground fight club of sorts, while Ruby was a courier. Tomorrow she would have to travel throughout the city to deliver the winnings to the people who bet on the fights. Ruby wanted to do more to help them save up some money so they could get out of this neighborhood, but Yang was against Ruby becoming a fighter herself even though she was more than capable in a fight herself.

Ruby sighed and shook the thoughts from her head. Squeezing into bed next to her sister she closed her eyes and thought back on the night. A small smile formed on her lips as her last thought before falling asleep was that Weiss really had been cute when she blushed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi there! Here is the second chapter for this story. No action in this one, but there will be in the next one. I mean, the title is called streetfighter. I wanted to send a quick thank you to darkguardian, naruhinafan11, and wolvesrock14 for being the first three people to post a review for the story. Thank you guys so much. I'm not gonna lie, I got some warm fuzzies because you guys liked it. Also, thanks to everyone who has already Favorited the story and are interested in the next chapter.**

 **I tried to make this chapter have a little more humor in it. My original intentions for this story was to make it nice and funny with some drama thrown in for emotional quality. The first chapter did not go as I had intended. Jim and Joe went farther in their threats than I wanted, but once I wrote it I couldn't fit anything else in it's place. I guess I'm not very good at writing cute, nice things. I'm working on it. These first few chapters are more introductory than anything. Things will be more actiony (not a word I know) and some drama that will deal with abandonment later on.**

 **Thank you guys for reading, and if you feel like it tell me what you think. I like to read the reviews and see what people say.**

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Ruby awoke to the sound of her alarm blaring loudly on the small nightstand next to the bed. With a soft groan she swiftly shut it off so that Yang would not wake up. Blearily looking at her sister she smiled as she saw that Yang was in the same position as when she landed last night. Getting up she tucked the blankets around Yang and quietly closed the door behind her when she left.

Ruby grabbed some clothes out of the small dresser she kept in the living room and walked into the bathroom for a shower. Showers were always quick and always cold because the old run down building's water heater couldn't seem to supply hot water up to the third floor where they lived.

She quickly got dressed in a pair of baggy, dark jeans and a black tank top. She threw on her oversized red hoodie and walked out the door. Being a courier for the fight rings was practically a 24 hour job. You had to be up early for deliveries, and you had to be up late to collect the bets on the fights. Last night had been a particularly late night, but Ruby didn't mind too much as she thought back on the white haired girl she had met after work with a grin. She shook her head to clear her thoughts as she focused on the day in front of her.

 _One day I will get more than three hours of sleep a night,_ she vowed to herself during a big jaw cracking yawn. Reaching the street in front of their building she stretched her arms above her head with a groan, and then she began her morning run into work.

Ruby loved to run. Running always cleared her mind and made her feel refreshed. She ran her usual route between the dilapidated buildings and abandoned homes to get to The Warehouse. Warehouse was one of the only local businesses still up and running in this neighborhood. From the outside it looked like an ordinary bar, but if you knew where to go and who to talk to you could get into the basement where the real business was held.

Going around to the back door she walks in and runs into the day bouncer Zeus. Zeus was nothing but a wall of muscle with a face like a bulldog. It was often assumed that he was some unfortunate kind of dog Faunus. He looked at Ruby's still damp hair and sighed. "You're always early; you can take time to dry your hair properly."

Ruby smiled slightly at the huge bouncer. He was tough no doubt about it, but that bulldog face hid a heart of gold. "The earlier I work the earlier I get done. I've got someone I need to go see later."

Zeus went behind the counter that blocked the entrance to the stairs down to the basement. Opening the safe underneath, he pulled out Ruby's deliveries for the day. Stacks and stacks of hundred dollar bills were put inside a small, black backpack. She looked wide eyed at the amount of money she would be carrying today. "That is a lot more than usual. How many deliveries do I have today?"

Zeus just chuckled. "Only one delivery today Ruby. Oakmont said this is winnings, and some other payments to one customer." Oak grimaced as he thought about the rest of Oak's message, but it was his job to pass along instructions to the couriers. "He also said that you should try and make a good impression when you make your delivery. This is a very important client and Oak wants him kept happy."

Ruby's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Keeping a client happy could mean any number of things, and a lot of things Ruby was not willing to do.

Zeus saw the look on her face. "He didn't specify what he wanted you to do. I honestly think he means be on your best behavior. This client is… let's just say he's particular. Upper class, successful, and demanding."

Ruby just shook her head. _Whatever_ , she thought. All she had to do was this one delivery and then she was done until tonight. She could go and take of her own business early as well.

"Also," said Zeus, breaking into her thoughts. "This delivery has to be done by 10 o'clock this morning. This guy has a meeting he can't be late for."

"IT'S 9:15 NOW!" Ruby yelled. "Where is this going?!"

"The Schnee Dust Company Vale Headquarters." Zeus grimaced when Ruby snatched the bag out his hands.

"That's six miles away! This is going to be almost impossible to deliver while remaining unnoticed."

"That's why Oak wants you to do it. You're our fastest courier, and you're always early for your shift. Oak knew you would be the one to come in before everyone else."

Ruby quickly slung the bag over her shoulders while mentally mapping the best route to take into the city, while also plotting her revenge against Oak for doing this to her. _Everyone will get some of Ruby's Famous Chocolate chip cookies. Except Oakmont. He gets Yang's Famous Constipation Remedy cookies._

She dashed to the door without a last word to Zeus, but he didn't mind. He knew her brain was elsewhere at the moment.

"The client's name is Jacques Schnee!" He called to her as she hurried out the door. He saw her hand raise in silent thanks and acknowledgement before she dashed out of sight before the door had time to close behind her.

Weiss covered a yawn with her hand as she stepped into her father's office building. Glancing at her watch she saw that it was 9:30, thirty minutes before she knew her father would be leaving to attend a big meeting back in Atlas. She needed to speak to him before he left about getting her car repaired, and to have him sign some paperwork for school.

Her father and older sister, Winter, would not be returning to the Vale location after today and she wanted to speak to them in person before they left. If she were being honest she really only wanted to speak to Winter, but word would get back to her father that she purposefully did not stop to see him. She had learned her lesson long ago about what happens when you ignore Jacques Schnee. She was just using her car and paperwork as an excuse to actually see him.

She briskly walked past the receptionist at the front desk and headed to the elevators, but stopped when she saw that her sister was just stepping out of one while trying to organize some files she had in her hand. Weiss quickly went up to her and took a few files before they could fall out of her grasp.

"Need some assistance?"

"Weiss!" Winter's face broke out into a brief grin before settling back to her usually more sedate expression. "Father and I were not expecting to see you before we left today. What time did you arrive home last night?"

"I believe it was just before 5 o'clock. I had some car trouble along the way home and was delayed for a bit."

Winter finished organizing the files left in her hand and took the remaining files that Weiss was holding onto.

"I am glad that you made it home safely. I am also glad that I got to say good bye before Father and I go back to Atlas. I was just on my way to inform Sarah at the front desk to call for the car to take us to the airport."

The two sisters moved to the reception desk and Winter called for a car. They decided to wait by the front desk and chatted about when Winter would visit again, or if Weiss would come home during winter break from school. After about ten minutes a small figure wearing red burst through the front doors of the building at a full run and only stopped until they arrived at the front desk.

Weiss was stunned speechless. Ruby was probably the last person she had expected to ever see in the Schnee office building. Weiss couldn't deny that she was a little happy to see Ruby again, but then she blushed as she thought about the last thing Ruby had said to her last night. _What's with me? I should be annoyed with her._

Before anyone could say anything Ruby doubled over with her hands on her knees and was taking deep, gasping breaths. Without looking up she began to speak through her breaths.

"I just…ran…six miles…in thirty minutes…have a delivery…for Mr. Jacques Schnee."

Everyone blinked at Ruby as she continued to breathe heavily after delivering her message. Sarah looked down at the girl from behind her desk.

"Umm, if you leave your delivery here I will make sure that Mr. Schnee receives it."

Ruby shook her head. "I have to deliver it in person. Can you tell him that a courier from the Warehouse is here with his delivery?"

Everyone raised an eyebrow at that, but Sarah picked up her phone and relayed Ruby's message. Weiss and Winter saw when Sarah's eyes widened in surprise and then she simply hung up the phone. Weiss knew that her father had hung up after he had given his reply so there was no need for Sarah to respond.

"He says for you to wait here. He is on his way down anyway and he will get his delivery then."

Now it was Weiss and Winter whose eyes widened in surprise. Their father did not accept deliveries in person. Ever. They both looked at Ruby and wondered what she could possibly have that would make their father meet with her personally. All she had on her was a small, black backpack. Weiss took a small step forward.

Ruby finally raised herself to an upright position, having finally managed to catch her breath. She started when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Ruby?"

"Weiss?!"

Winter and Sarah's eyes widened yet again. Weiss knew this delivery girl?

Ruby couldn't believe it. What was Weiss doing here? She had honestly thought that they would never meet again. It's not like they had the same social circles or anything. Still, Ruby was happy. If Weiss was here then that meant she must have made it home alright last night.

"Hello Ruby. I was not expecting to see you, much less see you here."

Ruby inwardly cringed at hearing her own thoughts spoken aloud. She ended up just scratching the back of her head self-consciously.

"Yeah, I don't usually come to this part of town, but my job gave me this delivery today."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. Ruby already had a job? Given the area she lived in she could guess that her family wasn't very well off, but still Ruby seemed a little young to have a job.

Ruby noticed that there was a woman standing behind Weiss who had the same snow white hair, and the same perfect upright posture that made them seem almost stiff when they were just standing still. The woman was wearing a dove gray business suit that could only have been tailored to fit her perfectly. _I guess Weiss's family works here._

Suddenly the other woman stepped forward. "Is this a friend of yours Weiss?"

"Oh! Sorry Winter. I couldn't really say friend, but last night my car broke down and Ruby and her sister were kind enough to help." Weiss cleared her throat. "Ruby this is my sister, Winter Schnee. Winter this is Ruby."

Ruby was about to say hello when Weiss's words fully registered in her brain. Her eyes darted to Weiss and widened. "Wait, you mean Schnee as in _Schnee_?" Ruby swung her hand to gesture the whole of the building.

Weiss realized that she hadn't fully introduced herself the night before, and she chuckled softly at Ruby's expression. From the moments Weiss has spent with Ruby she noticed that the other girl didn't show emotion usually, but when she did she became an open book. _Her face goes from neutral to completely expressive so quickly._

Winter chuckled softly as well at the younger girl's reaction. In the world of business you did not often meet someone whose reactions were so comical.

Before anything else could be said they all heard the ding of the elevator as it reached the ground floor. They all watched as Jacques Schnee exited the elevator and walked towards them. His eyes roamed over everyone until they settled on Ruby.

"I was expecting this delivery to arrive sooner." His voice was hard and as unforgiving as his stare.

"I apologize, sir," Ruby said. "My employer only said you wished to receive the package before 10 o'clock."

Weiss and Winter were both surprised yet again. Ruby's face had gone beyond blank, practically stony. Her voice was professional and showed no signs of intimidation. _Just who was she? Nobody stands under that stare completely unaffected._

"Ten minutes before 10 is not my idea of prompt." Jacques continued to glare down at the small girl in red.

"I will tell my employer that if he wishes to keep your business then he should endeavor to notify his couriers sooner if you have a delivery. It is not our intention to take up your valuable time."

Weiss almost choked. Not only had Ruby just pushed accountability onto her employer, but she had essentially told him to just deal with it. All with an emotionless mask on her face. No one ever spoke to her father like that, but she said it in a way that you couldn't say she was being rude.

Before Jacques could speak again, Ruby continued on. "Because I did only arrive ten minutes before the specified time I would like to personally offer my services the next time you visit. Despite this delay today I am the best courier the Warehouse has to offer, and Oakmont will attest to that fact if you should decide to give him a call."

During this time Jacques noticed that there were three witnesses to this conversation, and he could not receive his payments until his daughters and the receptionist left.

"Sarah I believe I might have left the lamp in my office on. Go turn it off. Weiss, Winter please wait outside for me while I complete my business with the delivery girl."

Both Weiss and Winter recognized that he was trying to get rid of them. A little concerned for Ruby, Winter moved forward.

"Before I go I would just like to offer my thanks to Ruby. Apparently Weiss's car broke down late last night and Ruby helped her get back home. Thank you for helping my sister, I was worried last night when it was taking so long for her to get back home."

Ruby's mask stayed in place, but a very faint blush rose on her cheeks. "You're welcome."

Weiss decided to also speak up in hopes that her father would not be so harsh to Ruby if he knew all that she had done for her.

"Actually when my car broke down two men came and tried to mug me. Ruby actually fought them off for me, and her sister is the one who fixed my car. I still don't know how she did it, but Ruby is one tough fighter."

Her father did indeed look intrigued when he heard that Ruby had fought off two men. Ruby silently added that she had really only fought one, but she could have taken them both on no problem.

Weiss and Winter moved toward the door and Ruby heard Winter whisper "Did someone really try to mug you," before the closing door cut off the rest of their words.

Seeing that they were alone Ruby took off her backpack and placed it on the front of the receptionist's desk. Jacques opened his briefcase and the two of them began the process of transferring the money out of sight of the front windows.

"Was the offer of your services sincere? Or was it simply a way to try and smooth my feathers?" Jacques suddenly said.

"In the limit of all services offered by the Warehouse, yes, it was sincere."

Jacques looked pleased at that as he nodded. Once the delivery was complete Jacques closed his briefcase, and Ruby slung the now empty bag over her shoulder.

"I believe I will take your offer the next time I am in Vale. I will be calling Oakmont to let him know that I am pleased with this delivery. I will make sure that he gives you a bonus for helping my daughter. Until next time."

With that he walked out of the building and he and Winter both climbed into the waiting car outside after a few words with Weiss.

Ruby walked out and found that Weiss was waiting for her.

"How did you do that?"

Ruby blinked. "Do what?" she asked confused.

"You spoke back to my father. No one does that! Also, how did you manage that expressionless mask? You were like a completely different person! Now you're back to normal. Even the way you spoke was different."

Ruby was a little flustered. She was not used to someone asking so many questions about her at once.

"Well…I mean that was just business you know? Part of my job." Ruby scratched the back of her head again and noticed that her hair was damp with sweat. She grimaced as she noticed just how hot and sweaty she was underneath her hoodie. She immediately shrugged off the back pack and began to pull her hoodie off over her head.

Weiss was shocked when Ruby suddenly started removing her hoodie.

"What are you doi-"

"AHH!" Weiss jumped as Ruby suddenly exclaimed after getting the hoodie off.

"That feels so much better!" Ruby began to stretch her arms up as she moved her torso side to side working out the stiffness in her back.

Weiss noticed that Ruby's tank top had ridden up and exposed her midriff. _What is it with these sisters?! How are they so physically fit?_

While Ruby did not have the muscle mass that Yang did, there was no denying that she was just as muscular, but in a lean way.

Ruby didn't notice Weiss looking and straightened out her clothing.

"Do you want to go get breakfast?"

Ruby started in surprise and looked at Weiss, who looked almost as shocked as she did, but she hid it almost immediately.

"What?"

"I just thought that I could thank you for last night by buying you breakfast. It's still early enough." Weiss's cheeks were turning pink again as she heard how much like an excuse that sounded. _What is wrong with me?_

Ruby saw the spreading blush on Weiss's cheeks and inwardly smiled. _She's so cute when she's embarrassed._

"Breakfast sounds good Weiss. I haven't eaten yet today, and after that six mile run I'm starving."

Weiss let out a small sigh of relief when Ruby accepted. She thought about what she said and remembered her earlier words. "Did you really run six miles in thirty minutes?" Ruby nodded.

"That's insane. The fastest mile is four minutes and twelve seconds! That means you ran each mile in five minutes each!"

Ruby laughed at Weiss's shock. _How does she just know the time of the fastest mile?_

"I'm inhuman Weiss. I am not bound by your small human standards." Ruby couldn't help but laugh at her own bragging.

Weiss just shook her head. "Come on Ruby. We're going to Café Adel for breakfast."

"Yes ." Ruby replied cheekily.

Weiss just sighed as they began walking. Then she thought of something. "Hey Ruby, what's your last name?"

Ruby smiled at Weiss. "Rose. I'm Ruby Rose."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! Sorry it took so long to get this up. Let's just say finals suck, and moving makes me want to punch myself in the face. This chapter is twice as long as usual, so I hope it makes up for it.**

 **There is violence in the end. I promised action for this chapter, and I gave it. Do I have to up the rating to M for violence? Warning now, there will be a broken bone. I didn't make the scenes too graphic, but I felt I should warn you guys anyway if it's not your thing.**

 **Also this chapter was very hard to write. I just couldn't get it to come out like I wanted. If it seems wordy or lengthy, or too fast paced I apologize. I am still working on character development and I am having a hard time. Blake will be making her debut in chapter 4, and maybe some other characters as well. Thanks for reading! :)**

* * *

Ruby and Weiss arrived at the café. Ruby was self-conscious about how run down and torn her clothes were compared to what the other patrons were wearing. Everyone at the café was stylish and wearing the latest trends. Ruby and Yang had only seen clothing like this in magazines.

Weiss didn't seem to notice that Ruby was obviously sticking out like a sore thumb in her baggy, ripped black jeans and faded, black tank top. Weiss was just happy that she was hanging out with Ruby. Weiss had spent a lot of her child hood alone, and now that she was in high school she still found it hard to connect with people. Ruby was different though. Somehow Weiss found it really easy to be around her. Now that she was thinking about it she supposed that was why she had been acting weird around Ruby, she wasn't used to being close to people like she felt with Ruby.

Walking into the up-scale café Weiss saw Coco Adel, one of the people she actually considered a friend. Weiss tugged on Ruby's arm, "My friend is over there, I want to introduce you."

Ruby was lead to a girl wearing a beret and a pair of large sunglasses. She had on a light brown turtle neck sweater with three quarter length sleeves, and a pair of black leggings tucked into a pair of brown, heeled half boots. Ruby didn't understand how the girl wasn't hot considering it was late July and temperatures were well in the 90's most days.

"Hey Coco! How are you today?" Weiss called once they got closer to the girls table. Coco glanced up from the magazine she had been flipping through absentmindedly. She grinned when she saw her friend Weiss. "Hello Weiss. I'm okay, if you call being bored to tears as okay. I'm so glad you're here now to help break up the doldrums."

Coco noticed the smaller girl behind Weiss and raised an eyebrow at the girls outfit. The clothing was so old and worn it was almost more gray than black, and the red hoodie she was carrying looked frayed in a few spots. Coco wasn't aware that Weiss had known anyone so obviously poor. Coco wasn't stuck up like some other people in their social circle, but she was used to people who try and get closer to her to use her for her money. Coco hoped that something like that wasn't happening to her friend.

"Coco, this is Ruby Rose. She helped me out last night by chasing off some would be thieves. I thought I would treat her to breakfast as thanks. Ruby, this is Coco Adel."

Ruby lifter her hand in a small wave. "Hello it's nice to- wait do you mean Adel as in _Adel!?_ " For the second time that day Ruby waved her hand to gesture at the building as a whole, her eyes wide. The other patrons of Café Adel glanced over curiously at the girl waving her arms around.

Weiss broke out in a laugh at Ruby's expression, and Coco looked at her in shock. Weiss was not usually an expressive person. She rarely showed her emotions and Coco couldn't remember the last time Weiss had actually laughed out loud like this.

"She did the same thing just a half hour ago at my family's building." Weiss dissolved into more chuckles as Ruby blushed slightly. Ruby crossed her arms and hugged her red hoodie.

"Well it's not every day you meet someone with their name on a building." Ruby said self-consciously.

Coco watched Ruby and Weiss as they talked. As far as she could tell Ruby was a genuine person. Her eyes were so clear and open that it was hard to imagine that she would be able to even hide any bad intentions. Coco wouldn't trust her just yet, but for now she was willing to let Weiss make a new friend without trying to keep her cautious.

Coco invited them to join her at her table and the three girls talked while Weiss and Ruby went over the menus. Ruby's eyes had widened at the amount of food that was actually served on the menu. Her mouth watered as she looked at pictures of delicious looking pastry's covered in fruit or chocolate. A rabbit faunas who introduced herself as Velvet came over to take their order. Weiss ordered blueberry crepes, and Ruby simply got pancakes covered in strawberries.

Once Velvet left Coco turned to Ruby. "So Ruby, what grade are you in in school? Weiss and I will be starting our junior year at Signal Academy on Monday."

Ruby's eyes widened yet again. "You guys go to Signal? Isn't everyone who attends there practically a shoe-in for Beacon University?"

Beacon was one of the most prestigious colleges in Remnant. They had very high standards when it came to all of their subjects. Beacon supported all types of students. All they asked was that you be exceptional at what you do. Signal Academy was known for producing students who end up getting accepted to Beacon.

Coco and Weiss just raised an eyebrow each at Ruby's tone. For them it was perfectly natural that they attend Signal. They knew it was an excellent school, but it wasn't a big deal them.

"I will be taking art and business at Beacon. I plan on starting my own clothing company that features my own designs. Weiss will be taking nothing but business classes as she plans on taking over her family's company one day."

Ruby couldn't believe that she was talking to these two girls right now. _How is it possible that I'm eating breakfast with two girls who have their family names on buildings?_

Ruby knew she couldn't really talk about her own circumstances with the two girls. While Ruby had never told Yang how she felt, Ruby was embarrassed that she had never gone to school. She wasn't uneducated; over the years Yang had bought them both books so they could teach themselves. "We may be poor, but I'll be damned if we are poor and stupid!" Yang had said when she had bought their first set of old schoolbooks for them to study when Ruby was eight years old.

Ruby distracted them with questions about their plans for the future, which both girls were more than happy to do. Ruby had never met people who looked so optimistic about their future, who looked so sure that they were going to succeed. She just listened to them with a small, wistful smile on her face until their food arrived and Ruby's stomach gave a large growl at the sight of the strawberry drenched pancakes. She blushed when the two girls laughed at her, but that didn't stop her from immediately cutting off a large bite of pancakes and strawberries and shoving it in her mouth.

Coco and Weiss were a little startled when Ruby suddenly froze with her fork in her mouth. Then Ruby let out a small moan and her eyes looked like they rolled back into her head before they closed. The two girls watched her slowly chew the massive bite of pancakes and strawberries. When Ruby finally swallowed and opened her eyes she was met by the amused stares of the two other girls, and also the small chuckles of people at the tables closest to them. She could feel the blush climbing up her neck, but she forced herself to not be embarrassed.

"I just ate pancakes fit for the Gods, and I am not ashamed to show my appreciation." With that she primly cut off another massive bite and closed her eyes in bliss.

Weiss chuckled and began to eat her own perfectly prepared crepes. Weiss had eaten at Coco's family café for years now, and the food was always perfect, but she had never had the reaction to food that Ruby had. Weiss took another look at Ruby and saw that while she was in impeccable shape, it was possible that Ruby's slimness was caused by not always having a lot to eat. The neighborhood where Weiss had met Ruby was a very, very poor section of Vale. Weiss remembered that Yang had said they were going home, so they must actually live in the same neighborhood. She didn't know what to think about the circumstances that Ruby might be living in.

"So Ruby, how old are you?" Coco suddenly asked. She found herself wanting to know more about the girl who was currently shoveling pancakes into her mouth. Coco had realized that Ruby had never really answered her questions from before, and when they were talking she had not spoken about herself, but rather continually asked questions about them.

"I'm 15," Ruby said.

 _Straight answer._ "When is your birthday?"

"Oh, it's already passed this year. When is yours?"

 _It's an answer, but it's vague, and immediately followed by a question. "_ Mine is October 10th, and Weiss's birthday is February 14th. Do you have any siblings?"

"I have a sister named Yang. Do you have any brothers or sisters?

 _She answered, but still asked a question. She must not want me to focus too much on her sister._ "I'm an only child. What do your parents do for a living?"

"Nothing as fancy or big as your parents, that's for sure. I'm gonna use the restroom real quick, I'll be right back." With that Ruby got up from the table and made her way towards the door in the back marked 'Ladies'.

 _No real answer that time. Then she ran away rather than ask a question. Hmmmm…_

Weiss had watched the exchange silently. She had seen the look on Coco's face and knew that Coco was trying to figure something out. She had also noticed that Ruby seemed to more completely put on her neutral mask with each question.

"What was that all about Coco?" she asked. Coco visibly started at the question. She had been thinking so hard she had momentarily forgotten the other girl was there. For a brief moment she debated on whether or not to tell Weiss what she thought of Ruby, but in the end she always felt honesty was best.

"I just don't know about her Weiss. I understand that you only met Ruby last night?" Weiss nodded. "You seem to be opening up to her rather quickly, but she isn't doing the same. Anytime a personal question comes up she gives a vague answer, and then immediately distracts us with her own questions. She's deflecting. I know she just met us, but she is deflecting questions that people do not normally avoid. She never told us where she goes to school, when her birthday is, she doesn't want us to ask about her sister, and she literally ran from the table when I asked about her parents."

Weiss blinked her eyes as Coco finished her diatribe. Coco didn't usually string so many words together at once. Something about this was really bothering her, and now that she was thinking about her words she was slightly bothered as well.

"Maybe she is just not comfortable talking about herself. It's not like I give my life story to every person I meet."

Coco gave a very soft 'hmmmm' at that. "That may be, but you didn't mind when I told her your birthday. Or when you spoke about where you go to school, and what you will be going to college for. I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad thing that she doesn't answer these questions. It's just a little…weird."

Weiss pondered what Coco had said. Ruby came back to the table and Coco stopped asking her questions, and all three girls slowly went back to chatting like they had before. Weiss kept looking at Ruby and wondered why she was so concerned about her not telling them more about herself. Usually she herself was the one not opening up to others, and she had no problem walking away from people. _Why does this bother me so much? Why do I feel the need to get to know her so much?_

Weiss didn't understand her feelings, so she decided that she simply wouldn't worry about it right now. She wanted to get to know Ruby, so she would.

Suddenly the song 'For the Love of Money' began to play loudly from Ruby's pocket. Her face immediately set into the same expressionless mask that Weiss had seen when the other girl had been talking with her father. Ruby pulled out her phone and answered without checking caller ID.

"What do you want Oakmont?"

Weiss and Coco both raised their eyebrows at the greeting. Coco was shocked that Ruby could instantly switch tones the way she had. She almost couldn't believe this was the same girl she had been speaking with for the better part of an hour now. The emotionless façade made Ruby look older, and her silver eyes were… hard; they didn't look like the eyes of a child.

"Shut up Rose! If I wasn't in such a good mood right now I'd be taking some of your pay for your attitude."

Ruby just rolled her eyes and waited for Oakmont to continue.

"I just got a call from Mr. Schnee. He says he was very pleased with the service he received. I knew you would be the only one to handle that delivery today."

Ruby narrowed her eyes as she remembered that she was upset with her boss for this morning.

"Speaking of that delivery," she practically growled "…maybe next time you could just tell me to get there even earlier rather than have me kill myself trying to rush a delivery. You know I hate time crunch's."

Their waitress, Velvet, came back at this moment to clear their plates from the table. Her rabbit ears twitched as she was able to catch what the man on the phone said next.

"You do whatever I tell you to do in the time frame given! Don't forget that the only reason you and your sister aren't digging through dumpsters anymore to survive is because of me. You could end up on the streets again in a flash kid!"

Ruby didn't notice that Velvet had shot her a shocked glance before hurrying to the back with the empty plates. Coco however did notice, and she was already making plans to get the faunus alone so she could question her about what she overheard.

Ruby sighed at Oakmont's words. He always threatened to throw them back on the streets, but he never did. Yang and Ruby both new that Oakmont had a soft spot for them, as much of a soft spot that the crime boss was able to have for anyone that is. It didn't hurt that they were his best employees, and so were forgiven for their attitude to a degree.

"Why did you call Oakmont? I know you wouldn't call just to tell me I did a good job."

"The club opens early tonight. I need you hear by nine o'clock to start collecting the bets. I have a big fight planned for your sister tonight as well. We got a new girl in and I want to see what she can do."

Ruby's eyes widened. "9 o'clock?! That's two hours early! I have something to do later and I probably won't be done until almost ten!"

Weiss and Coco were very curious about the conversation. Coco had no idea that Ruby was already working so was very intrigued about Ruby did. Weiss was doubly curious because she couldn't fathom what a delivery girl could be doing at 10 o'clock at night for her job.

"You will be there Rose. If you are even one minute late I will put you back in the chop shop. I mean it this time Rose."

Ruby gritted her teeth. She hated the chop shop, and that would mean that Yang and Ruby would no longer be working in the same place, which Ruby did not want.

"I'll be there, but Yang and I are taking tomorrow off! We haven't had a day off in almost three weeks, and Yang needs to rest if you want her to keep doing so well."

"Done!" Ruby could hear the smile in his voice. "No problem at all. I can't have my best fighter or runner collapsing from exhaustion now, can I? See you tonight!" With that Oakmont hung up the phone. Ruby put her own phone away and then just dropped her head down on the table with a loud ' **thunk**!' and groaned.

Weiss and Coco looked at each other. Something about Ruby's conversation was off. Well a lot of things were off, but Weiss was mostly concerned about the strange hours Ruby was working, and the comment she made about not having any time off. Why was a fifteen year old working so late at night, and why was she working so much? Weren't there child labor laws that prevented stuff like this?

Ruby lifted her head, her expressionless mask gone, and she gave the other two girls a slight smile. "Sorry about that. Work can't seem to leave me alone."

They both looked a little pensive as they regarded Ruby. She began to fidget beneath their stares. Weiss's clear blue eyes were piercing and even though Coco wore sunglasses Ruby could feel her gaze.

"What?" she asked hesitantly.

Weiss leaned her elbows on the table. "You're a delivery girl, correct?"

Ruby nodded. It was technically true so she wasn't lying. Coco also rested her elbows on the table.

"Why does a delivery girl have to work at night when she already worked in the morning?"

Ruby scratched the back of her head nervously. _Crud, it's time to go. Why are they so perceptive?_

"Well… deliveries don't prepare themselves, right? So we have to work at night to get the supplies ready for the next morning." Also not a lie. Ruby reasoned that she was only telling the truth. If you didn't collect the bets from the night before you had no deliveries to make the next day.

Weiss and Coco looked at each other. That did make sense, but it still didn't seem right given Ruby's age. Ruby knew she had to get out of there before they asked any more questions. She stood up from the table.

"Well my day was just cut significantly shorter, so I have to go take care of some things now if I want to get them done. Thank you for breakfast, and it was very nice to meet you Coco." Ruby was using her polite delivery girl voice, the one that was nice, but also impersonal.

Without really waiting for any replies Ruby turned and walked out of the café. Weiss and Coco were surprised at the abrupt departure, and Weiss was a little upset as well. Weiss also got up from the table while murmuring to Coco that she would be right back. As Weiss went to catch up to Ruby Coco was looking for Velvet. She wanted to know what she had overheard about Ruby's conversation.

"Ruby, wait!"

Ruby was startled as she heard the shout. She turned around to see Weiss hurrying after her.

Weiss came to stand in front of Ruby and just glared at her. "How could you just leave like that?" Ruby was surprised at the other girl's anger. She had not thought that Weiss would follow her, or that she would be upset because she left.

"I have a lot to do today, and now that I have to work early tonight I really have to go and get them done." Ruby was purposefully keeping Weiss at arm's length. Her and Coco were too perceptive and smart to be around for long periods of time. They asked questions Ruby did not want to answer.

"Well can I at least have your phone number or something? You can't just leave like that with no warning and not give me a way to get in touch with you." Weiss blushed softly, off-setting her annoyed tone and letting Ruby know that she had probably not meant to say that. _It's funny. I just met her and I can already tell that she said that before she could stop herself._

Ruby thought Weiss was nice, and after visiting Café Adel and meeting her friend Ruby thought that Weiss was far too good to be hanging out with her. Breakfast was one thing, but exchanging numbers, hanging out? Ruby didn't know how she could manage that without explaining to Weiss what she actually did for a living, or how she really lived. Ruby couldn't-wouldn't- open herself up to someone only to be tossed away. Not again.

"The phone is really only for work, so I can't use it for personal use. I don't have my own either. I'm sure I'll see you around Weiss, we can hang out then." Even to her own ears it sounded insincere. Ruby could tell that Weiss noticed that she was trying to brush her off. Weiss' eyes became practically icy hard and her back straightened even more.

"Very well," Weiss said, causing Ruby to almost flinch at the hard edge to the words. "If you ever find yourself back in the business district of Vale we can meet up. It is not likely that I will ever frequent the neighborhood you call home, so you can be assured that the likelihood or our meeting again will be low. It was very nice to see you again Ruby. Good-bye."

Ruby watched as Weiss turned sharply and walked back towards the direction of the café. That was the Weiss that stared down muggers with a frosty glare and gave off an 'I'm better than you' vibe. Ruby remembered that was how she had first seen Weiss when she was trying to get rid of Jim and Joe. Being on the receiving end of that glare was not fun.

She really wanted to chase after Weiss and apologize, but she decided that it was better things ended before she got emotionally attached to Weiss. Weiss was bound to walk away from her sometime, might as well be now when there is no damage to be done.

Ruby sighed and began to run back towards the more familiar streets of the crime district of Vale. Luckily her next stop was only three miles away and not five. She hoped no one from the Warehouse saw where she was going. Ruby was headed to the Burning Ember, commonly known as simply Ember. Ember was similar to the warehouse in terms of business. Both appeared as normal bars, but behind the scenes were actually secret gambling dens where the more well-to-do citizens of Vale watched the poorer denizens beat each other for money.

The two establishments differed in that Warehouse was strictly hand-to-hand to combat. Ember allowed the use of brass knuckles, chains, and other weapons if enough patrons requested them. Ember drew in the more blood-thirsty crowd, and was known for having to frequently acquire new fighters to replace the ones who got too injured to fight anymore. The high injury rate also led to the fighters of Ember to be paid far better than any other job in the business.

Ruby had been trying to convince Yang to let her become a fighter for a long time now, but Yang wouldn't hear anything of it. She said being a courier was dangerous enough because other thugs in the area knew that they carried thousands of dollars at a time with them. She had had to promise Yang to always run instead of fight if anyone ever tried to confront her just to be allowed to be a courier. They both used to work in the chop shop Oakmont also ran, but there was little money to be made there. Yang's earnings were enough to rent the tiny apartment they had, and pay the utilities. Ruby's pay was enough for basic necessities and food; most of the time anyway.

Ruby and Yang had promised that one day they would get out of that neighborhood, and Ruby wanted to do everything she could to make that happen. She had been planning on trying to go to Ember and request a job there, but had always put it off. The owner was Crimson Fall, and he was notorious for being ruthless, and everybody knew that he had been responsible for many 'disappearances' in the area.

However, he had recently passed away, and his daughter Cinder had taken over the business. Ruby and Cinder had a…strange relationship to say the least. Rather than focus on the specifics all Ruby needed to think about was that Cinder owed her a favor, and in the world they live in a favor was more valuable than money. This was the final push Ruby needed to finally approach Ember about becoming a fighter.

Ruby jogged easily through alleyways and around empty lots to reach her destination. While not a parkour user herself, her strength and athleticism provided her the means to do some basic free running. She easily ran through alleys by wall running over and past large piles of debris and trash. When she had rescued Weiss she had done a simple vault over her car and used that momentum to kick Jim in the face.

Ruby soon became lost in thought about Weiss. Before she realized it she was standing across the street from Ember with no real memory about the second half of her run. Shaking thoughts of Weiss out of her head she walked up to the bouncer by the back door and asked him if she could Cinder. "Tell her it's Ruby," she said when it seemed he would just shoo her away.

He opened the door and spoke to another bouncer inside, a faunus with two ram horns on either side of his head. Ruby hummed while she waited, drawing a slightly amused look from the burly bouncer. He didn't know what to make of Ruby. She seemed far too child-like to be hanging around a place like this. Her red hoodie was tied around her waist which allowed him to see that she had the muscles of someone who knew how to take care of herself, but her attitude was entirely too innocent to be frequenting a place like Ember.

The ram faunus opened the door, and much to the surprise of the other bouncer waved Ruby inside. Giving him a smile and wave she went inside and followed the faunus to Cinder's office. He opened the door for her and she gave him her biggest grin and thanked him before striding inside. He gazed after her, slightly concerned that someone so bright and cheerful was meeting with his Boss, but it wasn't his place to try and deter her. Closing the door he left Ruby and Cinder alone.

Cinder sat a big dark wood desk cluttered with papers. She raised an eyebrow while her amber eyes bored into Ruby's. "What do you have planned by acting so pure and innocent?"

Ruby shrugged and gave Cinder a slight smirk. "It's fun to see how uncomfortable they get. He almost didn't want to leave me alone with you." Ruby chuckled as she remembered the hesitation before he had closed the door to the office.

Cinder knew that wasn't the only reason, but she let it go for now. She hadn't really seen Ruby in close to three years, and the first thing she noticed was that Ruby's eyes had lightened considerably since the last time she had seen her. She remembered the first time she met Ruby, the small girl with eyes that were shadowed by anger and pain. She had been drawn to Ruby from the start because Cinder had seen those same eyes staring back at her in the mirror every morning. The eyes of someone who had grown up too fast; eyes that proved age wasn't dictated by numbers.

Cinder was just as ruthless as her father, but had more of a moral compass than her father had before her. While she never questioned a decision, she did regret how she had treated Ruby back then. Being seventeen at the time she had pushed for a…relationship of sorts. One she regretted, and at the same time was grateful for. Despite the five year age difference they had both helped the other in ways they never discussed with each other.

Pushing aside her memories of the past she regarded Ruby from across her desk. Ruby had grown, and with her special eye for people with talent she could tell that Ruby was a fighter, and a skilled one at that. It was in the way she moved, the way her eyes took in the whole room while seeming to be focused only on one spot. _Interesting._

"I doubt you have come here after three years just to catch up. Putting on the little miss innocent act with the body guards when we both know that's not you. What are you planning?"

"You always were one for getting straight to the point," Ruby grinned. It was one thing she had always liked about Cinder; you always knew where you stood with her.

"I wanted to ask you to consider letting me be a fighter here." Ruby stared right at Cinder. Her tone had gone completely serious and business like. She needed this to work out.

Cinder was intrigued. Ruby had known how to defend herself back when Cinder knew her, but she could tell it had gone way past simple self-defense. _Her being so small could be a big draw to our customers. If she is presented and marketed right she could be a big money winner. That all depends on two things though._

"Are you still working for that blow-hard Oakmont?" Ruby nodded.

"I am a courier, and I would also like to keep my position there as well as work here."

Cinder paused at that. Working for two different establishments, and two different crime bosses, was extremely tricky. Keeping both positions would also be so physically demanding on the body that the undertaking seemed impossible. Ruby spoke again before Cinder could respond.

"I know that Ember is active throughout most of the day. If I could be considered I would like to be one of the day fighters. This way I can still be a courier for Oakmont."

Day fighters didn't make nearly as much as the after-hours fighters, but it was still more money than Ruby was making now.

"I am assuming that Oakmont is not aware that you are seeking another job?" She waited until Ruby nodded again. "Neither is your sister?" Another nod.

Cinder was definitely intrigued. She was very curious about what kind of fighter Ruby was, but taking on a courier from a rival crime boss could be dangerous. More so for Ruby than herself. Cinder spent several moments weighing everything in her mind, but she decided in the end that she was too curious about Ruby's abilities to let her go.

"I want to see your skills before I make my decision. If I do decide to take you on as a fighter I will require that you work at least one night shift every week. Other than that I believe I can work around your schedule as a courier."

Ruby visibly sighed in relief. She had been so tense the longer Cinder sat there in silence.

"What would you have done if I had said no?" Cinder asked.

"I thought that I would call in that favor you owe me, but I'm glad I don't have to now." Ruby grinned at her.

Cinder was slightly surprised. Using a favor from a powerful crime boss just for a job was almost ridiculous. _She really wants this. She knows how valuable a favor from me is, and yet she claims she was willing to waste it on getting a job._

Cinder got up and walked to the door. Opening it she called out to Fleece, the ram faunus who had brought Ruby to her office. "Please tell Posy to prepare for a fight. I have someone whose skills I want to see before I hire her."

Cinder noticed Fleece's eyes widening, but he turned and headed down stairs to tell Posy to get ready. Turning back to Ruby she beckoned her over and together they walked out the door. "If you work for me I will not give you special treatment, and I will not have anyone else take it easy on you."

Ruby just gave a small smile. "I never dreamt you would."

Posy was a tall, muscular girl with vibrant chin length red hair. She was one of the veteran fighters at Ember, having managed to avoid serious injury for about three years now. She had scars from where brass knuckles caused her skin to split, and other thin scars from the few time knives had been allowed in the arena. Her greatest achievement was that she had never broken a bone during her career, earning the name Stone Flower.

She had heard Fleece and Coal talking about the little girl who had come to see Cinder. She couldn't believe that Cinder was having her fight the child, but the boss's orders are absolute. She had heard the girl was cheerful and bright eyed. Posy instantly ruled her out as a seasoned fighter. No one remained innocent in this business. Posy wanted to finish this little farce of a match quickly so she could start getting ready for the real matches later tonight.

She walked into the cage, or the arena as the fighters called it. Her opponent stood inside already and had her arms up and behind her head as she stared around wide eyed at all the seating arranged around the cage coliseum style. Posy snorted softly under her breath at the wide eyed little girl in front of her. Big silver eyes looked at her and shone with innocence.

"Hi! I'm Ruby, nice to meet you!" Ruby gave her a big grin.

Posy rolled her eyes. What a joke this match would be. She was several inches taller than the girl and easily outweighed and outmuscled her. This girl was gonna get demolished. She looked up and saw that Cinder was standing on one of the overhanging balconies with a small smile on her face as she looked at Ruby. Posy was surprised, she didn't think she had ever seen the boss smile before.

"This is not a practice match," Cinder called down to them. "I want this to be treated as a real match. Ruby this club does not allow tap outs. You fight until the other person can't anymore. Show me what you can do."

Ruby turned and gave a smart salute to Cinder. "Aye-Aye boss!"

Cinder smirked and Posy snorted again with laughter. Was this kid serious? They both moved to opposite ends of the arena and Posy brought her arms up in front of her, ready to begin the match. Ruby simply stood there, arms relaxed at her sides and a wide grin on her face.

"Get ready kid!" Posy called to her. "I am ready!" Ruby called back with a wave. Posy shook her head. _This is gonna be so easy._

"BEGIN!"

Posy rushed at Ruby, wanting to finish this match quickly by debilitating the girl right off the bat. Ruby simply waited until Posy was right on top of her. Posy struck fast, aiming for the girls solar plexus. Posy thought she would connect until suddenly Ruby wasn't there anymore. Faster than Posy had thought possible the girl had stepped to the side and avoided the blow.

Off balance from the swing she was un prepared for Ruby to hook her foot on hers and kick up causing her one leg to left higher and knock her completely off balance. Ruby balled up both her fists together and swung them into the back of Posy's head. Landing face first onto the floor with all her weight coming down behind her she felt her nose break and start to bleed.

Posy quickly rolled away from Ruby and regained her feet. Ignoring the blood running down her face she looked at Ruby in shock. Gone was the dopey smile and bright, shiny eyes. Silver eyes now hard and flinty Ruby wore an expressionless mask as she stared at Posy. Despite herself Posy felt small chills run up her spine. _The innocence was all an act! This kid isn't normal._

Cinder watched from above with a smile. She had caught on to Ruby's game when Posy first stepped into the arena. Ruby's wide grins and cheerful attitude caused Posy to let down her guard and rush in recklessly. Ruby had been acting like this from the beginning knowing the bouncers would talk about her to the fighters. Manipulating everyone from the start into believing she was harmless. Cinder found herself interested in watching a match for the first time in a long time.

Posy brought her arms up again, bolstering her defense. Ruby hadn't moved from the spot on the other side of the cage was waiting for Posy to make another move. Posy was much more cautious now. Ruby's arms were still relaxed at her side which usually means that she is completely open to attack. Posy got the feeling that the stance was deceptive, like a Venus fly trap trying to draw prey in closer.

Ruby watched her opponent closely. Her stance and striking power suggested heavy training in traditional boxing, but aiming right away for her solar plexus could also suggest some training in karate as well. Ruby quickly analyzed Posy's movements. More strength in her arms meant she would not be likely to use her legs for kicks, arms up to protect her face from damage, and her center of gravity lowered to make her harder to knock down. Her legs were her weak point as she was more likely to focus on quick, powerful strikes to overwhelm an opponent. She could tell Posy was going to be tough to wear down. Her training was focused on endurance and stamina whereas Ruby could usually make her opponent wear themselves out while also landing small hits of her own to slow down her opponent. That wouldn't work here; she needed a way to take Posy down quickly and for good. If her hunch about karate was correct then trying to attack head on would be useless.

Posy stiffened as Ruby suddenly sprinted at her. Taken off guard at the sudden movement she hesitated until Ruby was practically right in front of her. Ruby raised her arm as if to throw a punch. Posy instantly moved into a slip to allow for the incoming punch to pass by her so she could retaliate with a jab of her own, but Ruby had known she would react like this. Rather than throwing a punch she just wanted to get close enough to grab onto Posy. Her body already shifted into the slip Posy couldn't maneuver quick enough as Ruby seemed to jump on her while also kicking Posy's legs from under her. Together they fell to the floor and Posy landed on her back with a loud slam, and Ruby had positioned herself so that her knee would drive into Posy's sternum when they landed.

All the air left Posy's lungs with a loud 'Ooooff!' and she saw stars. Unable to breathe she couldn't move and Ruby took advantage by striking the taller girl in the face. While Ruby's fighting style did not depend on strength a punch is still a punch, and with proper technique a punch even from a weak opponent could hurt if placed right.

Ruby got in about three punches before Posy regained herself enough to fight back. Punching Ruby on her exposed side they both struggled on the floor. Posy was startled by how strong Ruby was. Her small build made her appear weak, but the strength in the muscles she could feel was no deception.

Posy landed another punch into Ruby's ribs, and the two girls rolled away from each other to climb back to their feet. Posy was now bleeding from a broken nose, a split lip, and she found it difficult to take a deep breath after the direct hit to her sternum. Ruby appeared relatively untouched and unscathed. The only sign that she hurt was that she kept a hand pressed against her side.

Posy rushed back in close, hoping to catch the smaller girl by surprise and pressing her advantage. Posy threw a right cross thinking Ruby could not bring her hands up fast enough to block. Ruby not only blocked the hit she easily deflected it and turned her body with the momentum. Grabbing Posy's wrist with the other hand Ruby twisted her hand and forced Posy's arm to turn back towards her body. Normally in a forearm return like this the opponent will stop moving forward and be bent back with their arm which allowed for an arm lock. Posy however did not bend back with her arm. The strength of her punch kept her moving forward into her now twisted hand.

Both Ruby and Posy heard as well as felt as the tiny wrist bones snapped under the pressure.

Posy fell to the floor in agony; her wrist felt like it was on fire. Ruby stood there helplessly as Posy writhed on the floor in front of her. She hadn't meant to break it, but she didn't know what to do to help either.

"Winner, Ruby Rose!" Cinder called from above.

Cinder smiled as she looked down at Ruby. She had the feeling that Ember was going to be seeing the most interesting fights it had seen in a long, long time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I just want to say thanks to everyone who has followed the story so far. This story at this point in time is at 104 followers. Like, what?! Super exciting for me, and I can't believe this is doing so well. This means a lot to me, and you guys are the best. I think I am becoming more comfortable in my writing, so things might seem more relaxed as time goes by.**

 **I also wanted to comment on a few reviews I got over the past week. Metalcorpse -awesome name by the way- said they found it strange that some random 15 year old can run like an Olympian. I wanted to keep aspects of their semblances in the show alive in this story. So Ruby is able to keep up her speed for longer periods of time, whereas a real person needs to pace themselves and slows down over time. Yang is going to have incredible pain tolerance, as well as stamina and endurance. This will be tough to do with all the characters, but I am going to do my best.**

 **KibaPT commented that Ruby's hair isn't brown, but black and red. I know. Ruby is actually dyeing her hair brown right now, and we will find out later why. Don't worry, pretty soon she will have her natural, red-tipped black hair back.**

* * *

Weiss lay on her bed in the quiet house and stared at the ceiling. She thought about what had happened this morning with Ruby, and about the conversation she had with Coco and Velvet after she had stormed away from the younger girl. She had been angry and upset with Ruby, but also herself. She shouldn't have let Ruby get under her skin so fast, really they didn't even know each other. She had always believed that if people wanted to be around her, fine, and if they wanted to leave, let them. No hard feelings; Weiss didn't like people anyway.

So she had been angry with Ruby for brushing her off, and angry at herself for caring. Then while she was still upset and confused by her own feelings she had that talk with Coco about what Velvet had overheard during Ruby's phone call. Now she didn't know what to feel.

She had huffed back into the café to rejoin her friend, but instead of being at the table Coco was standing by the do to the employee's only break room. Coco had looked concerned, and after waving Weiss inside the room she closed the door so it was just them and Velvet. Velvet looked upset and her rabbit ears were both drooped down as she looked up at them.

"What's going on Coco?" Weiss had asked. She was not used to seeing Coco so pensive, and she was concerned that she had been brought into the employees' only room. Seeing Velvet so down was also concerning.

"Velvet here happened to overhear part of Ruby's conversation on the phone. I think you need to hear what she heard."

Coco just sat down and looked to Velvet, who lowered her eyes to the table they were sitting at. Weiss almost told her she didn't want to hear it, but despite still being so upset at Ruby she was still curious about her. Having Coco looking so upset also made her want to know even more. Weiss sat down and waited for Velvet to speak.

"W-well, I didn't mean to listen in, I just couldn't help but overhear as he was yelling at her a bit, and with my ears I tend to pick up things I shouldn't sometimes." Velvet explained nervously. Neither Weiss nor Coco said anything and waited for Velvet to continue.

"She had just complained about not knowing about a delivery, and I-I heard him tell her that she would do whatever he wanted, and that he was the only reason her and her sister were no longer digging in dumpsters to live. Then he told her that she could find herself on the streets again in flash." Velvet took a deep breath after speaking. She didn't know Ruby, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for her if what the man on the phone said was true. If what she could assume based on the conversation was true she wasn't really sure what any of them could do.

"Thank you Velvet, you can go back out there if you want." Coco had told the faunus after a few moments. Velvet thanked her and left the two girls alone.

Weiss had just stared at the table for a while, unsure of how to process the new information. How was she supposed to react to this? Should she be feeling anything at all? After the upset with Ruby just a few minutes prior Weiss just didn't know how to react.

Coco watched Weiss as she processed the information. To most people it would have appeared as if Weiss did not react at all, but Coco had known her a long time and could see the emotions behind the icy mask she wore. Coco hadn't been sure she should tell Weiss about what Velvet had heard, but honesty and information were always the best ways to get through any situation.

Weiss only looked up from her musings when she heard a small metal clatter on the table and saw that Coco had taken her sunglasses off and laid them down. Weiss' eyes widened at the sight. _Oh no, the glasses are off. It's real talk time._

Coco only took the sunglasses off when she slept, or when she was about to deliver some advice that she wanted the other person to take seriously. Her dark brown eyes had an intensity that could captivate just about anyone.

"How did things go with Ruby when you followed her?"

Weiss had not expected that question and stammered a bit when she answered. "S-she s-sort of blew me off. Basically told me that she didn't want to see me again." Weiss' shoulders slumped as she remembered.

"I think that's for the best." Coco's voice was firm.

"W-what?"

"I think it is best if you don't actively seek out Ruby. From what I have been able to gather in the last hour or so it's that Ruby has secrets. I don't know if those secrets can get you hurt, and I do not want to find out." Brown eyes stared into crystal blue.

"As far as I am concerned you should have no reason to want to see Ruby again. She helped you, and you repaid her with breakfast. Leave it at that. It sounds like Ruby could possibly have had a pretty tough life, but we don't know her. I don't mean to sound insensitive, but I don't care about her. If her life has been hard I feel sorry for her, but I care more about you."

"I don't understand why you think simply knowing Ruby would be somehow bad for me." Weiss said. "What does her having had a rough life have to do with being friends with her?"

Coco sighed. Sometimes Weiss was too kind for her own good. Once you got past the frosty exterior and worked your way through all the attitude Weiss was really one of the nicest people you could meet. She had a little trouble expressing herself, but under it all Weiss was a very caring person.

"I don't think her life _was_ hard, I think it still _is_ hard. Her boss said that if she didn't do what he wanted then he could throw her out on the streets _again_. Weiss, I think I know why she didn't want to answer any of my questions before. She still is a street kid, and it sounds like she is working for someone who has no problem taking advantage of someone's circumstances to get what he wants. We don't know what she has had to do to in her life, but I think it is very possible that nothing was legal."

Coco could see Weiss thinking about what she said, about what befriending someone like Ruby would mean.

"I just don't want to see you get mixed up in anything that could get you hurt. Walking around with some street kid with a questionable past, and a suspicious job does not seem like sound logic." Coco took a deep breath. She had had a few minutes before Weiss got back to think over the new information about Ruby. Putting everything together with her own impression of Ruby, and how Weiss seemed to open up to her incredibly fast, Coco only had one last thing to say.

"All that being said, Weiss, if you do decide to seek out Ruby again I won't try and stop you. Despite the concerning nature of that phone call, I didn't feel that Ruby was a bad person, maybe just stuck in bad circumstances. I just want you to be cautious about this, and I don't want to see you get used either. Neither one of us can say that we never had someone try to use us for their own purposes. You just seemed to open up to her so fast, and I want to make sure you don't end up attached to someone who only wants to use you."

Weiss had left a few minutes after that and headed home where she was currently staring at the ceiling going over the whole conversation for the hundredth time. _I don't know what to do. Really, Ruby shouldn't concern me so much._

To start with even if she wanted to see her again it wasn't likely to happen. With no way to contact her, and with no idea where she actually lived the odds of seeing each other again were almost zero. So if she did want to see her again, how would she even find Ruby?

Weiss was also still upset at Ruby for leaving the way she did, but with a bit more knowledge into her circumstance Weiss guessed she could understand why Ruby did what she did. If what her and Coco assumed was correct, Ruby was probably involved in some sort of illegal activity. This assumption also led to a very important question to Weiss. _What could she have possibly delivered to my Father?_

Weiss had no doubt that her Father was not afraid to deal in, shall we say, shady business. Jacques Schnee did whatever he felt was necessary for business, and he always aimed to get away with as much as he could. As a result the Schnee name was hated by Faunus, and feared by other businesses.

Weiss sighed and looked at the clock. 1:28 a.m flashed at her and she groaned as she realized she had been laying there for hours getting nowhere with her thoughts. Realizing how exhausted she was she got ready for bed. As her head hit the pillow she decided that she would go think more about this in the morning.

* * *

After Ruby had broken Posy's wrist Cinder took Ruby back into her office and told her she had the job. Ruby asked if she could work under a nickname so that word didn't get around that she was fighting in Ember. Cinder had already thought of that and told her that they would pick a name before her first night shift when there would be more people present.

For now she was just introduced as Rose to the rest of the staff present. Cinder used this as her first day at work and Ruby had fought three more times before she left Ember at 8 o'clock that night. Ruby was grateful that she had the next day off to recover from those fights. Her last opponent liked to use a chain during her fights and at one point had wrapped her fist in the heavy chain and given Ruby a punch her intestines weren't soon to forget. _Is this what Yang feels every night?_

Ruby had won all three fights, but it had been a close call a few times. As good as Ruby was she was not a seasoned fighter, and some of the hits she had taken had nearly taken her down. She credited living with Yang all these years for her success tonight. One did not grow up with Yang without learning how to take a hit.

Fighters were payed based on performance, and amount of bets they were able to pull in. Ruby had earned almost two hundred lien today, and she smiled as she thought about her first successful day as a fighter. _Now I just have to find a way to explain my split lip, black eye and the bruising almost everywhere else to Yang._

Putting on her hoody she began to jog towards Warehouse. Muscles stiff at first with pain she soon loosened up as her body fell into the familiar rhythm of running. She decided to take the long way around to avoid running into anyone she knew so close to Ember. Keeping this a secret was going to be the toughest part about being a fighter.

Reaching the back door of Warehouse a quarter to 9 she ran into Oakmont immediately inside and groaned internally at having to deal with him so early in the night.

Oakmont was a tall man at almost seven and a half feet tall. He towered over everyone and had a deep, gravelly voice and light brown hair with a shock of dark green running through the front. He saw Ruby and immediately slapped his big hand against her back with a big laugh as he noticed her ever darkening black eye.

"Someone finally try and knock some sense to ya, eh Rosy?" He guffawed at her grimace at the nickname. She hated it when he called her Rosy, which is probably why he called her that so often she admitted to herself.

"I know I said it earlier, but good job with Schnee this morning. He even gave you a tip, which you can collect at the end of the night." He smirked and leaned down close to her face. "Now what did you do to earn such a big tip, hmm?"

She shoved his face away and stomped over to the counter to return her backpack. She hated it when Oak got smarmy, it really was the worst part about him.

"I told him that to make up for the incompetence of my boss for not notifying me of his delivery sooner that next time he is in town I will offer him my services, within the limits of services offered by the Warehouse."

Oak's smirk turned into a scowl as he realized she had called him incompetent, but he didn't feel like getting too worked up about it tonight. He had found a new fighter and he knew that putting her up against Yang would be the perfect way to break her in.

"Whatever, Rose. You're in section seven tonight, so grab your box and head over there. I expect a lot of cash to come in tonight, and I want everything set up so we can get it." With that Oakmont walked down the steps just behind the counter and headed to his office.

Ruby grabbed her box and her bet book, and headed down the stairs as well. Taking a second flight of steps down she walked into the fighters lounge and found Yang punching away at a punching bag hanging from the ceiling. She watched Yang for a few moments, noticing that she seemed to be favoring her left side a bit with her jabs.

"You should wrap your ribs if they are bothering you this much." She said grinning as Yang visibly startled and turned around.

"Ruby!" Yang cried and rushed over and wrapped her in a bone crushing hug. Wincing more than usual at the squeeze to her ribs she patted Yang's arm in hello.

"Yang…please…air," she gasped out. She breathed in relief as her sister released her and stepped back.

"I haven't seen you all day and now you want to deny your dear, poor older sister from the only thing that brings her joy. How can you be so-what happened to your face?!"

Ruby winced as the question cut off her sisters dramatic monologue. Yang reached out and grabbed her head turning it side to side to look at the darkening bruise around Ruby's right eye, and the small cut on her lower lip.

Ruby winced at her sister's handling. _She has worse bedside manners than a chimpanzee._

She shook free of Yang and held her sister at arms-length. "Yang, I'm fine. I just had a small accident while I was out today." Ruby could tell that Yang wasn't buying it, but she didn't have anything else to tell her. She quickly tried to change the subject.

"More importantly you were favoring your left side just now, so we should wrap your ribs before you go out there tonight." She sighed in relief as her sister grabbed onto the new topic.

"And what? Announce to everyone that I'm in pain and my ribs are easy targets? No thanks, lil' sis. I'll stay as I am." Yang sat down on a bench in a huff. She could handle a little pain, and she was not going to walk out there looking weak and covered in bandages.

Ruby just shook her head. "Fine, but I got us the day off tomorrow, and you are going to take it easy. You have to rest sometimes Yang."

Yang grinned at her, truly happy about the prospect of taking it easy. "You're the best little sister ever!" she cried. "How did you manage to score a day off from our oak tree of a boss?"

Ruby giggled at the old joke of calling Oakmont an oak tree. "Oh a high end client called and told him what a good job I did, and old Oaky got a little _sappy_." She grinned when Yang snorted a laugh at the terrible pun.

They went back and forth a few times trying to outdo the other with awful jokes, and by the end they were giggling uncontrollably. They heard a bell ring out in the arena, signaling that the fight would start in a few minutes. Ruby rushed over and gave Yang a hug.

"Make it seem like your right arm is the weak one and your left is the stronger. Then you can surprise whoever it is when you deliver a strong hit. Once they're off balance just keep pushing them."

"You're devious, lil' sis." Yang said as Ruby snatched up her box and headed for the door.

"Yeah, well I kind of have to be the brains since you're the muscle." Ruby smirked as she left, ignoring Yang's shouted "Hey!" behind her.

Ruby arrived at her section just as Yang stepped out into the arena. She was followed by a girl with long black hair and amber eyes. Ruby noticed the black bow on top of her head. _Hmmmmm._

Ruby couldn't fully study the new girl before customers began shouting their bets at her. Each customer was given a number as they arrived that they were required to wear if they wanted to redeem any winnings on any bets placed. Ruby took stock of everyone in her section, about thirty people or so, and began to write down their numbers in her book. From there she went around and collected the money in her box after writing down the amount next to their number.

"All bets are made in cash, and no we do not accept checks," she had to tell one guy in a dark grey suit as he tried to slip in a check. Grudgingly he pulled a few bills out of his pocket and dropped it into the box. "Three hundred on the black haired girl." She dutifully wrote down his bet next to his number and walked away with a sigh. _Some people._

Oakmont walked out into the Arena and motioned for everyone to quiet down.

"Good evening everyone! This is a very special fight I have prepared for you tonight. Long- time favorite Yang Xiao Long, and our newest addition Blake Belladonna will be our first match tonight. Let's see how Blake does in her initiation match!" With that Oakmont went to the edge of the arena and Yang and Blake both moved to opposite sides of the cage. Once they were in position and nodded that they were ready Oakmont left the cage.

"BEGIN!"

Ruby watched from the stands as they fought. She smiled when she noticed that Yang let her right arm droop a bit making it appear to be a weak spot in her defense and attack. The new girl seemed to pick up on this right away and rushed in to Yang's right side with a powerful kick. Rather than block and give away that her right side was perfectly fine, Yang swept down low under the kick and knocked the other girl off her feet.

Blake however twisted during the fall and caught herself on her hands and was instantly able to right herself back onto her feet. Yang backed up before the other girl could take another swing. _That's some crazy agility she has there._

Blake rushed in again and threw a hard punch aimed at Yang's face. That punch turned out to be only a cover as Yang moved to defend her face and Blake instantly moved into a kick that hit Yang in her already bruised ribs. Not expecting the blow Yang took the full brunt of the kick and staggered to the side.

Ruby watched as Yang took the hit, wincing as she imagined the pain her sister must have felt. Ruby was trying her best to analyze Blake's fighting style, but it seemed to be blend of multiple fighting forms. _She seems to favor kicks, but that punch had perfect form behind it. She is constantly aiming at Yang's weak points, and purposefully going for hits that will cause the most pain even if her opponent has good defense. She's ruthless._

Suddenly Ruby figured out what her fighting style was and she felt worried for Yang in this fight. Blake was a Krav Maga user. It was a martial art that incorporated several different fighting styles, and was known for its ruthlessness. It was geared towards instant incapacitation and giving no mercy to an opponent.

Blake moved in to deliver another kick to Yang's side, but Yang reached out her right arm and caught her foot against her side. Blake's eyes widened as she realized that Yang had been feigning weakness in her right side the whole time. Yang struck Blake in the face with a lightning fast left jab. With Yang still holding onto her foot Blake fell to the floor.

The crowd was cheering loudly as they were expecting to see Yang deliver some more hits to the downed girl, but they were all surprised when Yang suddenly jerked away from Blake and moved a safe distance away.

Ruby caught on quickly as she noticed Blake's face. Yang's punch should have broken the other girl's nose at the very least, but there was no blood to be found anywhere. That could only mean that somehow Blake had moved so that her cheek took the brunt of the hit, and had only feigned falling down to distract Yang. Luckily Yang had noticed instantly and had moved out of range of whatever attack the black haired girl had planned.

Ruby was pulled away from watching the fight as more people came up to place their bets or add to existing ones. Ruby was busy explaining that no, you could not switch who you had bet on before and could only add to your existing bet when she heard the crowd give a cheer.

Both girls were now on the ground, panting heavily as they watched each other. Blake had one eye that was rapidly trying to swell shut, and she spit out a mouthful of blood onto the floor. Yang was pressing her arm up against her ribs as pain was radiating throughout her body. She also felt blood drip down her chin from a split in her lip.

Blake stared as the blonde made it to her feet after a few moments. _How is she able to move? Nothing I do seems to hurt her. What does it take to get her down?!_

Yang watched as Blake also climbed back to her feet. _I don't know how she does it, but she is somehow dodging everything I throw at her so that it lands somewhere else. I can't seem to make a solid hit!_

The two battered girls slowly circled each other, both more cautious about what the other would do. Ruby watched as Yang slowly lowered her hands to her sides and simply walked around the arena, never taking her eyes off Blake. Ruby smiled as she figured out that Yang was using her own fighting style to throw Blake off. Making it appear that you were completely defenseless when in fact you were more dangerous the more relaxed you looked. _Yang hasn't done this in a long time. She is completely serious about this fight, and I feel sorry for Blake for what she is about go through._

Blake was very suspicious about the tall blondes change in demeanor. Not only was she leaving herself wide open, but her face had gone completely blank. That blank expression was somehow more intimidating than any glare Blake had ever received. Those lilac colored eyes stared at her unblinking, and Blake forced herself to not let a shiver go up her spine.

Yang suddenly stopped moving and just stood standing in the middle of the arena, still staring straight at Blake. Blake stopped as well, feeling trapped in that gaze. Blake tried to think of what to do. _She doesn't use kicks as much as she does punches, so her legs are probably the most defenseless part of her body. If I can just get her into a knee bar, this fight is over._

Blake moved in and threw a punch straight to Yang's solar plexus, hoping to know the bigger girl of balance and leave her open to the joint lock. Yang grabbed her fist and pulled, keeping Blake's momentum going forward. Blake caught on to what she was doing and jumped. She had hoped to use the jump to get behind the blonde while also using the same method of knocking her off balance with her own momentum, but Yang jumped with her, keeping them even.

Ruby saw the moment Blake made her mistake. She tried to twist around during the jump to break Yang's hold, but Yang pushed the girl into her spin causing Blake to over rotate. Off balance and now wide open Blake was lifted into air. Expecting a throw, Blake latched onto Yang's left arm to pull her with her, but Yang simply dropped her. As Blake was not expecting to be let go she had no time to react as Yang threw a massive punch up into Blake's falling body.

Blake's body seemed to bounce in mid- air at the force of the punch, then she fell to the ground in a heap at Yang's feet. Blake curled in on herself in agony as she tried to get some air back into her lungs, while also trying not to vomit all over the floor. The crowd erupted into cheers as Yang was announced the winner. Blake was still struggling to draw in breath when she felt two strong arms scoop her off the floor. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was Yang who was carrying her out of the cage and back into the fighters lounge. She wanted to push away, but she was struggling to breathe and couldn't muster the energy to do so.

Yang placed her flat on her back on a bench and went to grab two water bottles in a mini fridge against the wall. She came and placed a cold bottle against Blake's neck.

"Leave it there for a minute and just breathe. You'll feel better in a minute." With that Yang walked into an adjoining bathroom and shut the door.

Blake didn't understand what Yang was doing. She had lost. Why was her opponent showing her kindness? All her life she had learned that those who lost were not to be coddled; it only kept them weak because they never learned to be strong. Then again, it was running away from that kind of thinking that led her to where she was now.

Blake laid there with the cold water bottle against her neck, and she admitted that she did feel better. Hearing the bathroom door open she sat up and looked at the tall blonde walking toward her. She must have washed up while she was in there because now her face was blood free and she held a wet rag against her mouth to catch the blood still seeping from her split lip. Yang tossed a wet rag at Blake.

"I know you're not really bleeding, but I know I always feel better after a fight if I wipe down my face with some cold water." Yang sat down a few feet away with a loud groan.

Blake looked at the wet rag in her hands for a moment before laying it out across her face. The cold rag did feel really good against her hot skin. "Thanks," she said quietly, her voice muffled under the rag. She heard a small 'mmm' from Yang as acknowledgement. After a few minutes of silence they heard the sound of feet running down the stairs, and a small girl in a red hoodie burst through the door.

"Great job Yang!" she cried as she glomped onto Yang.

"Ruby, my dearest sister, did you doubt that I would win?" Yang said, obvious teasing in her voice.

Blake saw mischief flash in the smaller girls eyes. "Well when you started to fight like me I got real worried cuz' you stand there like a brick wall rather than flow with the movements."

Yang gasped in affront. "Brick wall?! My form was perfect, you must need glasses to have missed it." Yang pulled Ruby down onto the bench and began to rub her knuckles across the top of her head. Ruby squawked in protest, and the two began to play fight while bickering at each other.

Blake just watched them in bemusement. Ruby had Yang in a head lock when she noticed Blake looking at them.

"Hi!" she said brightly. Releasing Yang she stuck out her hand toward Blake. "That was a great fight! It's not every day you meet someone who knows Krav Maga. I'm Yang's sister, Ruby Rose."

Blake had taken Ruby's hand, but froze when the small girl mentioned her fighting style. Not many people even knew what it was, and it seemed that Ruby had identified it from watching just one fight. _Just who are these girls?_

Before Blake could comment the door burst open again and Oakmont came striding into the room.

"That was fantastic! I can tell you are gonna be a big hit around here, kid!" Oakmont was smiling ear to ear while clapping Blake on the back.

Blake didn't appreciate the contact and she was about to shift away when Ruby suddenly grabbed Oakmont's arm.

"Geez, Oak. She just got done with fight; she doesn't need your big ham hands dislocating her shoulder now."

Blake raised an eyebrow at the intervention, as well as Ruby's shift in attitude. Blake had the feeling that these two sisters were very strange indeed.

Oakmont just grinned down at Ruby. "Don't forget that you're in section five for the next fight." Oakmont left leaving the three of them alone once again.

"Awww I hate section five! It has the worst view." Ruby sat down on the bench in a huff and crossed her arms. Yang slung an arm around Ruby's shoulders and pulled her in close.

"You're supposed to be working, not watching the fights anyway, sis. Plus, Oakmont only gives you that section when you give him attitude, so it's your own fault."

Ruby just groaned and leaned into Yang's shoulder. Blake didn't know what to make of the two girls in front of her. Yang had won their fight, and then she took care of her. Ruby watched Blake lose and still told her it was a great fight.

Ruby noticed Blake looking at them and immediately moved forward.

"Oh! I forgot I wanted to ask you something. Why do you wear the bow? No one here cares if you're a faunus."

Blake's eyes widened in alarm. How did she know?!

"I wondered that too," Yang said as she looked over at Blake. "We have plenty of other faunus working here."

Blake couldn't believe it. How did they both see right through her?

"Is it so obvious?" she asked.

The two sisters glanced at each other and shrugged.

"Maybe not to most people, but Rubes and I are pretty observant. I figured it out while we were fighting because of your agility. Put that with the bow along with this feeling I just had about you, and I guess I just knew."

"I knew right away," piped in Ruby. "I saw the bow and for some reason I just thought faunus."

Blake shook her head. They just knew? These two girls just got stranger and stranger.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone. I would just prefer if people didn't know for a little while." She watched their faces closely.

"Not a problem."

"Your secret is safe with me."

Blake only saw sincerity in their eyes. After that the sisters completely dropped the subject of her being a faunus, and she was surprised that they had not even asked what kind of faunus she was. It seemed that they were completely fine with her wanting to keep it a secret, and were willing to respect her privacy.

Blake watched the sisters bicker at each other, completely fascinated by their relationship. It was nothing but constant teasing and squabbling, but Blake could hear the love underneath every word. Before Ruby had to get back to work she gave Blake some tips on how to improve her stance so she was harder to take off her feet. Yang also chimed in with a few examples from their fight. Blake didn't know how reliable advice from the younger girl was, but it was nice that she was even trying to help her fighting style.

As Ruby left and Yang began to prepare for her next fight, completely ignoring Ruby's last order to wrap her ribs in some bandages, Blake felt a small smile stretch her mouth for the first time in a while. _They sure are strange, but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing._


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. Sorry this chapter is a bit later than I intended. I had to travel to Pennsylvania for my grandfathers burial service and I didn't have the time to keep writing.**

 **I haven't been feeling too well either, so I apologize if this chapter seems rather wordy. I think I was mostly just rambling close to the end of the chapter.**

 **I want to thank everyone for the reviews and follows/favorites. They really mean a lot. I will try and give shout outs in the my author note sections to people who review, and try and answer any questions anyone has without giving too much information away. I will do that next chapter when I will hopefully be feeling a bit more like myself. Thank you guys very much for reading this story.**

* * *

Ruby and Yang left the Warehouse at around 2 a.m. Yang had only had two more fights that night and they were grateful to get out of there a little earlier than usual. When they went to the counter to receive their nightly pay Ruby was handed a thick roll of bills.

Yang watched wide eyed as they walked and Ruby counted out almost four hundred dollars. Ruby couldn't believe it either. Jacques Schnee had given a very generous tip indeed, and while Ruby was happy for the extra income, she was also a bit leery of the man's generosity.

"How the heck did you score a three hundred lien tip?" Yang's tone was disbelieving. While a couple hundred lien didn't seem like much to most people, to Yang and Ruby it was surreal. They could finally afford some new clothes, and eat actually decent food for a while.

Ruby wasn't sure what she had done to get the tip either, but she could really only come up with one option. "Do you remember Weiss? From last night?"

"You mean Ice Princess? Yeah, what about her?"

"Well turns out her full name is Weiss Schnee, as in _Schnee._ I had a delivery for Jacques Schnee this morning and Weiss was at the office building. It came out that I helped her chase of Jim and Joe."

"I'm still mad about that, just so you know." Yang gave her a short glare, but Ruby just rolled her eyes.

"So you get a tip for helping daddy's little girl, huh? Wait… so you saw Weiss again? Wow it really is a small world."

"Yeah she took me out for breakfast as thanks." Ruby's eyes glazed slightly as she thought back to the pancakes she had eaten.

Yang gasped and gave Ruby a look of utter betrayal. "You traitor! How could you eat delicious food without me?!"

Ruby smirked at her sister's theatrics. "Those pancakes were worth whatever punishment you give me for eating without you. I regret nothing."

Ruby mentally paused. _Regret_. She did regret one thing, and that was how she had blown Weiss off when she came after her. Ruby had thought she was fine with it, it was better to not get attached to people. She did admit that she had turned on Weiss rather abruptly. Throughout the day, and subsequent night, her thoughts had repeatedly turned to the beautiful girl with pure white hair.

 _I could really like her._

That's what Ruby was scared of most. Only knowing Weiss for a few hours Ruby felt like she wanted to know her more. Therein was Ruby's problem. She had never felt like she really _wanted_ to know someone better. Having Weiss there when Oakmont called just reminded Ruby that she lived in a completely different world from Weiss, a world she didn't want the other girl to know about. In Ruby's world you didn't let others get too close.

Ruby would never say she was ashamed of her life. Abandoned on the streets when she was five, Ruby had survived and thrived. She knew her life wasn't normal, but she didn't let that bother her too much. She and Yang had a plan to one day get out of the Warehouse, move to a better neighborhood, get real jobs. They would be happy. Until then they were two street kids who survived by working in an underground fight ring that was run by their boss/landlord.

Ruby was lost in thought until she suddenly ran into Yang, who had apparently been trying to get her attention for several moments now and had simply walked in front of her and stopped. Ruby stumbled back with a startled 'eeep!' and looked up at her sister who was smirking down at her with amusement in her lavender eyes.

"Geez sis, you were thinking so hard I could practically see steam coming out of your ears." Yang's smirk slowly turned in a more concerned expression. "You want to tell me what's wrong?"

Ruby gave her sister a small smile. "Nothing is wrong Yang. I was just thinking about Weiss. I sort of… blew her off after breakfast this morning, and now I can't seem to stop feeling bad about it."

"What do ya mean?" Yang cocked her head to the side as she asked the question. The sisters continued their walk as Ruby mulled over her answer.

"She asked for my number after breakfast, and I…pretty much told her that I didn't want to see her again. I tried to make it sound it nicer, but she could tell. I thought that it was better that way, but now I feel bad for hurting her feelings." Ruby sighed as she finished. Saying it out loud made her realize she really did feel bad about the way she treated Weiss.

Yang thought about what Ruby had said. Yang had known Ruby for ten years now, and having practically raised the smaller girl by herself she prided herself on knowing the girl inside and out. She had noticed over the years that Ruby was usually always friendly, but never really got close to anybody. Yang had seen Ruby avoid people for years now, and never had she seen Ruby feel bad for pushing someone away if she didn't want the attention. This meant that Ruby had wanted Weiss' attention, but had pushed her away anyway.

Yang wasn't sure about how to feel at this development. They never talked about it much, but they both had issues connecting with people. Yang wanted to encourage the smaller girl to get out and make some friends, but every time she thought about it she couldn't stop worrying about Ruby getting hurt somehow. She also couldn't deny that she was just a little afraid that if Ruby met new people she would grow apart from her. She'd never admit it, but she couldn't deny it to herself.

Stuck with her conflicting emotions Yang hesitantly turned to Ruby. "I think…you should do whatever you think is best. I'm not sure a rich girl from one of, if not _the_ most powerful family in all of Remnant is the best choice of your first friend, but that's up to you."

Ruby started to nod at Yang's words before she registered al that she had said. "I have friends! I'm not that socially stunted."

"Suuuure…" Yang said, obviously rolling her eyes; earning her a punch from Ruby. A punch the bigger girl didn't seem to even notice, much to Ruby's annoyance.

"I have friends." Ruby said again, crossing her arms and glaring at the street. Yang only smirked as the younger girl pouted.

The two girls walked in silence the rest of the way to their apartment. Oakmont owned the building and rented rooms to his employees. The rent was ridiculously high for the dump that it was, but beggars can't be choosers. They climbed the steps up to the third floor and saw that the door to the apartment across from theirs was opened.

"New neighbor?" They both looked at each other as they asked the question out loud. They had had the third floor to themselves for a long time now and Oakmont hadn't said anything about a new neighbor. Suddenly they both remembered the new girl, and figured she must be moving into the apartment across the hall. She had only had one other fight planned that night and had left hours before the sisters.

They walked towards the open door and peered inside, noses wrinkling as the smell of bleach filtered out of the apartment. They found the new faunus fighter sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by books and reading, oblivious to the two girls peeking past the door jamb at her. The apartment actually looked fresh and clean, which was quite the feat considering how run down and dingy the building was as a whole. They did notice that the apartment looked completely empty except for the girl and her piles of books.

Ruby was ready to turn around and go to their apartment, not wanting to bother the reading girl. Yang felt her begin to move away and grasped her wrist to drag her more fully into the doorway.

"Hellloo!" Yang called out in a sing song voice.

* * *

Blake was so startled by the voice calling out suddenly that she jumped, practically throwing her book away with surprise. She moved to her feet and was in a defensive position before she recognized the two girls from earlier that night.

The tall blonde walked a few steps into the apartment dragging the smaller girl by the wrist. Blake wasn't sure how to handle the two girls coming into her apartment. The blonde had a big grin on her face, while the brunette was digging in her heels trying to prevent the bigger girl from moving in further.

"You're our new neighbor!" The big blonde stopped after only moving about three feet or so in to the apartment and tugged at her sister's wrist. She finally released the younger girls arm and stood with her hands on her hips as she grinned at the faunus.

Ruby shoved at Yang in a huff. "Yang! It's not nice to just barge into someone else's home!"

Yang only moved slightly with the shove, and she poked her sister in the forehead with a smirk. Blake relaxed out of her defensive crouch and studied the two girls in her new apartment. They didn't seem to have any ill intentions by being there, and she was curious about the two girls in front of her. After talking with a few of the other fighters at the Warehouse Blake couldn't help but be curious about the two girls who called themselves sisters, but who were not related by blood.

She had been surprised to learn that the two were not related. While they looked nothing alike they had an obvious bond between them that Blake couldn't help but envy. She silently watched as the sisters bickered with each other while in her apartment. In her world to call someone not related by blood family was a very rare thing, and she had never felt that close to someone to want to call them family. Looking at the sisters made her wonder what they could have gone through to form such strong bonds to each other.

She cleared her throat and drew the attention of the two girls. "So you guys are my neighbors?"

Ruby and Yang both laughed a bit sheepishly as they realized they had ignored the girl to squabble at each other while they were the ones who had invaded the girl's space in the first place.

Ruby stepped forward. "Sorry about that. We live right across the hall and we noticed that the door was open when we were walking to our door. We didn't mean to interrupt your reading."

Yang leaned her elbow on the smaller girls head like a shelf, but the brunette didn't seem to mind. "Yeah, my bad. We haven't had a new neighbor in forever and I got a little excited to welcome you to the building. It may be a hellhole, but it's our hellhole!"

Blake gave a surprised chuckle, but quickly covered it up with a slight cough and schooled her features back into their calm places. "It's ok, I only meant to unpack them, but I got sidetracked by an old favorite of mine."

She allowed a small smile to pass her lips as she looked at the two girls in front of her. "It's too drafty to be a hellhole though. It's more like a…slightly moist pit." Her grin widened when the sisters shuddered at the word 'moist'.

Ruby looked around the barren apartment and noticed a complete lack of furniture. The only thing in the room was a half unpacked suitcase, and it looked like all the contents were spread out on the floor next to the small piles of books that Blake had been sitting amongst. She frowned slightly and caught Yang's eyes as she rolled her own.

Yang caught on and quickly looked around the room. Ruby asked Blake what she had been reading and Yang used those moments to take a deeper look into the small apartment. She noticed that it was completely devoid of furniture, and since the layout of the apartment was the mirror image of their own, Yang could see into the bedroom from her place in the living room. It was also empty. Yang frowned as she figured out that Ruby had wanted her to notice the lack of any place for Blake to sleep. She remembered that she and Ruby had been in the exact same predicament when they first moved in, and had spent a whole month on the floor until Yang had won enough money to buy a cheap mattress.

Yang also figured that Ruby was silently asking if they could invite Blake to sleep at their place. She wouldn't have signaled for Yang to look around otherwise. Ruby was too kind for her own good. If Yang didn't know better she would have thought that Ruby was connecting with the black haired girl, but she knew better than to mistake Ruby's innate kindness for openness. Ruby liked to help others, often putting herself in danger to do so, and no matter how much Yang told her to be cautious Ruby always charged ahead.

She studied the black haired girl while Ruby talked to her about her own favorite books. Her first reaction was to say no to inviting the other girl into their home. They didn't know Blake, and Yang did not invite strangers into their home. However, she did have a gut feeling that Blake wouldn't harm them. She felt like she did know Blake to a degree after fighting the girl in the arena, and Yang wasn't completely heartless. She didn't want Blake to sleep on a cold, hard floor either.

Yang moved to lay her hands on Ruby's shoulders as they spoke. Ruby cut off mid- sentence and glanced at Yang who gave a small nod the younger girl.

"Soooo…Blake," Yang started slowly while making eye contact with faunus. "We couldn't help but notice that you don't have any furniture. If you wanted to you could crash on our couch until you get something in your apartment."

Blake's eyes widened at the offer. She wanted to be suspicious about the invite, but looking at the sisters in front of her she could see no hidden emotion in their eyes. She looked into a pair of lilac eyes, and then silver and could only see slight concern. She looked around her empty apartment for a moment before addressing them.

"That sounds…nice. If you don't mind then I will gladly take you up on your offer." She felt a a blush try to crawl up her neck at how stiff and formal she sounded. She wasn't used to accepting kindness from others, and she felt awkward.

Ruby bounced slightly on her feet. "Of course we don't mind! No one likes to sleep on the floor, and this old building is so drafty I'm surprised the doors don't all open when the wind changes direction." Yang smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

Blake quickly gathered her pajamas, a shirt and pant set made of silk which was the one luxury she had allowed herself in recent months, and a change of clothing for the morning. The three girls walked across the hall. Blake looked around the apartment. It was plain, and could have used a good cleaning, but it somehow felt homey. There was a dark beige couch with bright colored throw pillows in front of a dark brown coffee table that had what looked like a text book shoved under one leg to even it with the others. A small dresser was pushed against one wall and had a pile of folded clothes on top of it. There were worn mismatched throw rugs covering the floor.

The place should have just looked worn down, but it actually felt comfortable. Like the room invited you in rather than pushed you out. Even the small kitchen had bright red and yellow dish towels on the counter, and there was a small flower pot on the sill of the tiny window above the sink that held a single tulip.

Yang and Ruby both kicked off their shoes as soon as they got in the door so Blake did as well, placing her ankle boots next to two pairs of combat boots. Ruby disappeared into the lone bedroom while Yang moved the couch cushions to the floor. Ruby reappeared with a folded sheet and a small blanket. Together the two girls quickly made up the couch into a makeshift bed that actually looked very comfy. Blake had been sleeping more often than not on the ground and the thought of sinking into the cushions sounded wonderful.

The three girls chatted while they all prepared for bed. Blake mostly listened as the sisters talked, and smiled occasionally as they bickered and cracked awful jokes at each other. The sisters were dressed similarly in tank tops and pajama pants, and Blake couldn't help but study Ruby now that the girl was no longer wearing her baggy hoodie. Blake remembered how she had brushed off Ruby's fighting advice earlier that night, and her disbelief when other fighters at the warehouse told her that Ruby was a force to be reckoned with when angered. The brunette seemed so petite and good natured to be a decent fighter, but now Blake was reconsidering her initial judgement.

Both Yang and Ruby had obvious fighter physiques. Yang was more bulky with muscles while Ruby was more lean. Having fought Yang herself she could attest to the fact that Yang was a powerhouse and was more suited to quick, heavy hits that could stagger an opponent. Ruby was built more for agility and speed, but there was a definition to the muscles that led Blake to believe there was a surprising amount of power in the younger girl. Remembering how Yang had switched fighting styles during their match Blake found she was only becoming more curious the more she learned about the two girls.

Both Yang and Blake noted that Ruby seemed to be covered in quickly darkening bruises. "You were fighting!" Yang accused angrily. "I told you that you would get hurt, but you just don't want to believe me do you?"

Ruby shook her head and waved her hands rapidly in front of her. "Yang, no! I told you earlier that I fell while running earlier and these are from the fall." She reached up and scratched the back of her head. "These may or may not be from landing on top of a garbage can and then falling onto a curb."

Yang stared at Ruby for a minute searching for any sign that the smaller girl was lying. Yang slowly uncrossed her arms and her glare softened into a look of concern. "Are you ok?"

Blake noticed that Ruby gave an almost imperceptible sigh of relief as Yang's anger seemed to dissipate like embers doused in water. Blake silently watched as Yang checked Ruby's injuries while the smaller girl assured that she was fine. After Yang was satisfied her baby sister wasn't seriously hurt everyone finished getting ready and retired to their beds. Yang and Ruby crawled into their shared mattress and Blake gratefully lay down on the couch.

* * *

Blake knew that Ruby was lying about falling. She recognized the shape of some of the bruising on Ruby's torso, and you didn't get chain shaped bruising from a curb. Blake thought back to her conversation with the other fighters at Warehouse regarding the two sisters.

Ruby and Yang had both exited the fighters lounge when two other fighters came in. They were twins with long black hair and bright green eyes. Blake remembered that their names were Melanie and Miltia, and their fighting styles were almost mirror images of each other. While they both exhibited great acrobatic skill in the arena Melanie preferred to use big sweeping kicks, and Miltia preferred quick, short palm strikes. If someone ever had to fight them both at the same time Blake felt sorry for their fate.

"Hello newbie." The twins spoke at the same time, giving the words a slight echoing sound. Blake had merely nodded in return and continued to prepare for her next fight.

"We saw that you officially met Yang and Ruby." Melanie said as she began to stretch her muscles in preparation.

Miltia was bent over completely backwards when she said "Those two sure are funny. They call themselves sisters, but everyone knows that they are just two kids who cling to each other because they have no one else." It wasn't said in a mean way, almost as if Miltia was stating something that was fact rather than assumption. Then again, anything the twins say sounds like that.

Blake was shocked. Ruby and Yang had been so close it was easy to believe the two were related. "They are not real sisters?" She couldn't but ask.

"Mmhm," the twins chorused, moving from one stretch to the other languidly. Melanie was practically doing a split against the wall when she turned to Blake. "No one knows the complete story with those two, but Oakmont says that Ruby and Yang basically just found each other on the streets and they have clung to each other ever since."

Miltia chimed in and took up the conversation so easily it was as if she had been talking the entire time. "They push away everyone else as well. They seem friendly and open, but no one gets past the surface. We have known them for close to four years and we still barely know anything about them."

Blake wasn't sure how to take the information being given to her. "Why are you telling me this? I only just got here, it's not like I'm fishing for information on anybody."

The twins just shrugged their shoulders. "This is more like a warning we give to all newcomers. Basically don't mess with them; everyone knows they are Oakmont's favorites for whatever reason. You can't get close to them to get anything, so don't even try."

"Why would try to get-" Miltia cut her off. "This is just a warning to all newbies. It's happened before, and let's just say it's not pretty if you upset either Yang or Ruby."

The twins paused to grimace at each other as they remembered their own experiences with the sisters. "When we started we thought we would run this place. Yang was still fairly new to fighting, but she was quickly becoming a dangerous fighter. We thought it would be best to…teach her who ruled the arena."

Blake was frowning at the story being told. She still was not sure what this had to do with her, but if they wanted to talk who was she to stop them. She was becoming very curious about the story the twins were telling her, and she wanted to know what happened to make them fear the two seemingly mild mannered girls she had just met.

Melanie stood upright and looked right at Blake. "I snuck some brass knuckles into the arena during a fight with Yang." Blake's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She had been told that the rule about no weapons was strictly enforced, so she was doubly curious about what happened.

"I put wrap over the knuckles to hide them and wrapped my other hand just as thick to avoid suspicion before the fight. Yang didn't know what hit her. She tried to fight without saying anything, but she was almost unconscious when I hit her in the back of the head." Melanie paused and shuddered in remembrance of what happened next.

"Ruby had been watching, and somehow figured out exactly what happened. When Yang went down to one knee Ruby appeared out of nowhere. One moment I am about to finish Yang off, and the next I'm on my back and a knee is smashing into my face. Ruby was vicious, and no matter what I did I couldn't touch her. She was trying to kill me, and probably would have had Yang not come to my defense."

Miltia stood next to her sister now and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Oakmont and Yang dragged Ruby away. I came and carried Melanie to the lounge. She was covered in her own blood, her nose was broken, two fingers and a rib were dislocated, and her ankle was broken."

Blake could only stare at the two girls in front of her. Ruby? The same girl she just met with the bright smile and somewhat childlike demeanor?

"They never told Oakmont I had snuck in the knuckles. It was decided that Ruby had intervened because she couldn't stand to see Yang about to lose. They came to visit me in the medical room. Basically told me that if I ever did something like that again I would see that they could fight dirty as well. We have played by the rules ever since."

Miltia moved to stand in front of Blake, making sure their eyes met. "Yang may be the fighter here, but we think Ruby is just as- if not more- dangerous. Yang won't let her become a fighter, thank whatever Gods exist. This is just a warning to obey the rules, and don't think to try and cheat your way to the top. We don't know you, we honestly don't particularly care. Just keep in mind that you may not want to try and get too close to those two."

Blake was trying to process all the information she had just been given. Was everyone else afraid of the sisters as well? "Do they hold a lot of power here somehow?" she asked. If they did it could explain why the twins felt the need to warn all new fighters about the sisters.

"No more power than anyone else. They are not really shown favoritism; they have to earn their keep like the rest of us. Everyone here can even say they like those two. They didn't rat us out for cheating, so we got to stay. Everyone has a story involving those two, and over you time you realize that they are kind of like silent, under rated guardians. They make sure everyone stays in line so no one gets unduly hurt, and they can handle Oakmont like no one else can."

Blake blinked at the supposed turn around. They are afraid of Ruby and Yang, but they like them? Are they good guys or not?

The twins saw the confusion on Blake's face, a lot of newbies were confused at first, but if they lasted long enough they realized that the two girls formed very strange relationships with everyone. Even holding everyone at arm's length they managed to turn the Warehouse into a family of sorts. Everyone looked out for each other, and if you didn't Yang or Ruby made sure you didn't stick around long. They were very particular about who was given second chances, Melanie and Miltia being only one of three other people to be given a second chance.

Yang and Ruby were completely unaware of the effect they had on people. Melanie and Miltia had spent the past four years trying to figure the sisters out, but they still didn't understand it themselves. They had grown to respect the younger girls, while still being cautious around them. They had both changed for the better that night the sisters kept their cheating a secret. They now held every other fighter to the expectations put forward by the Warehouse, and if anyone disagreed they were quickly shut out.

The twins looked at the new girl, confusion still marking her features. "You will form your own relationship with them if you stick around long enough. You will only get as close as they want you to though."

Blake stared up at the ceiling while she thought about that conversation. She still didn't know how to take it, or even _what_ to take from it. She had never met anyone like Yang and Ruby. From the little she knew about them they were honorable, fiercely protective of each other, and were loving in their own way.

Over the course of the night Blake had spoken to some other people at the Warehouse and learned that the two girls were always doing something for someone else. Ruby constantly helped another runner tally up the bets because the young deer faunus had trouble with numbers because he was Dyslexic. Yang could often be found in the medical office making sure it was stocked with fresh bandages and antiseptic.

Then there was what they did for Blake tonight. Yang had made sure was okay after the fight, then the sisters had offered her their couch to sleep on because she didn't have furniture. She remembered nights where the people who claimed to truly care about her left her to sleep in the dirt because she collapsed after a sparring match. Now two girls who don't even know her are concerned because she was going to sleep on the floor.

Blake could hear the sisters softly whispering to each other as they lay in their bed. _I wonder what it would be like to be loved by someone like that._

With that thought she rolled so she was facing the back of the couch and pulled the blanket up over her head. She decided she would like to try and be friends with her new neighbors, and she would be glad with however close they allowed her to get to them.

* * *

Ruby and Yang were talking as they lay on their bed. Ruby had asked what Yang thought about her trying to see Weiss again. Yang had been surprised that Ruby had brought it up again, and teased her for worrying about her new friend. Ruby huffed and rolled over to face away from her sister.

Before Ruby finally fell asleep she decided she would try and see Weiss again, to apologize for the way she acted. Signal Academy started classes again day after tomorrow, so Ruby thought she could always wait for Weiss outside the school. She smiled slightly as sleep finally overtook her as she thought about how fun it might be to actually sneak onto the Academy grounds and look for Weiss herself.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Here is the next chapter. It's a bit long I think at over 6,000 words, but I just couldn't find the right place to end it, so here you go. Also note that I have paired Blake and Yang in the description and officially added the Bumblebee relationship. My original intention was to just have them be friends, but the more I wrote them the more it felt like they were going to end up together. My love for the pairing supersedes my intentions I guess. I'm feeling a lot better than I did last time. I literally passed out one day after work and woke up 14 hours later, so I guess I needed a lot of sleep. Also I will be starting to shout out people who review in these Author's Note sections I do. Let's begin.**

 **naruhinafan11: Thank you for being a constant reviewer. I really appreciate it, and you always have nice things to say. You were right about where Ruby would find Weiss btw. Thank you.**

 **SturmWeiss: Surprise! Yes there is officially Bumblebee in this story lol. Thank you for your reviews, and thanks for liking the part with Miltia and Melanie. I felt that part got really wordy, but I really needed to fit in some more background information about Ruby and Yang.**

 **GrnDrgnzrd: Thank you for liking the chapter! I am feeling a lot better so thank you.**

 **gladeyemoody: Thanks for liking the story. Hope you like this chapter as well.**

 **kirigayahaseo701: I updated as soon as I could! lol. Thank you for your review. Hope you like the update.**

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Ruby looked across the street at the gates of Signal Academy. The whole campus was surrounded by a ten foot wall and Ruby had the irrational fear that if she got too close alarms would go off and alert everyone there was a poor kid trying to go where they don't belong. She knew it wouldn't actually happen, but she still didn't want to get too close to the gate because she knew she would stick out like a sore thumb.

Yesterday her and Yang had gone out shopping and had each purchased some new clothes. Ruby was now sporting a pair of un-ripped, un-faded jeans and the tank top underneath her red hoodie was actually black and not turning gray from age. Despite the new clothes she would never make it past those gates considering all the students wore uniforms. Even if they didn't she doubted any students in Signal would wear bargain brand jeans and tank tops.

So she would keep her vigil of the gates from a safe distance across the street. She glanced at her phone for probably the fifteenth time and saw that it was 2:26. Signal let out at 2:30 so she only had a few minutes more before students came pouring out of the school. She paced somewhat nervously. _What if she ignores me? I was pretty rude by brushing her off, and now I suddenly show up in front of her school? What am I, a creep?_

Bells chimed from the school, marking the end of the day and Ruby stiffened as she waited for students to come out the gates. At first students just trickled out the front doors, but soon more and more started making their way out of the gates, and Ruby had never seen so many people who looked…polished. They were practically shiny they looked so perfect. No messy hair, no rumpled clothing, they were completely spotless. She felt practically dingy in comparison with her worn and fraying hoodie.

More and more students came out of the school, but still no Weiss. Students were giving her weird looks as she was standing on her tip-toes to see above the crowd. As she was searching the crowd for a head of snow white hair she didn't see the group of boys around a certain rabbit faunus until she heard the boys laughing.

"Ouch, that hurts! Please let go!"

Ruby's head immediately snapped over to the group and saw that the tallest boy was tugging on the girl's ear while the other boys stood laughing as she struggled to pull away. Ruby recognized the girl as the waitress that had been at the café, Velvet. Ruby quickly dashed across the street to the group, eyes hard as she stared at the boy gripping Velvet's ears painfully.

Velvet was trying not to let the tears fall from her eyes. The grip on her ears was only getting tighter and the tugs they were given were getting harder. They wanted to make her cry and she was trying her best to not give them that satisfaction, but her ears hurt so much and she just wanted it to stop. Cardin Winchester only ever let go after she cried.

Suddenly the grip on her ears was gone and she heard a quick surprised yelp from the group of boys in front of her. Looking up she was met with the sight of a small girl standing over Cardin as he had fallen to his knees with a grimace of pain. Velvet was shocked to recognize the girl who had eaten breakfast with Coco and Weiss the other morning, and she had Cardin's wrist turned the wrong way as she glared down at him.

Ruby let go of the tall boy as soon as his friends started to make a move towards her. She placed herself between the boys and Velvet and continued to glare at the tall boy with burnt orange hair as he angrily got to his feet. He scowled at the girl in front of him.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Ruby rolled her eyes at the question. _What a cliché._

"I'm nobody, and I'm a nobody who will kick your ass if you don't leave Velvet alone." Velvet's eyes widened when Ruby remembered her name. No one remembered a waitress's name, and she couldn't believe that the smaller girl had just threatened Cardin on her behalf.

Cardin's face showed his disbelief at the claim that the younger girl could do any damage to him. She was only able to bring him to his knees because she surprised him. "Do you know who I am?"

Ruby almost groaned aloud at that. _How many clichés can this guy say?_

"Let me guess," she drawled sarcastically "…your daddy is somebody with a lot of money, and you think because your family has money it somehow makes you important. You think you are so powerful, but you never had to work for anything in your life and are really just an arrogant, spoiled brat."

Velvet practically choked. That is basically what Cardin was, but no one had ever said it out loud before; especially right to his face, which was quickly darkening with rage as Ruby spoke. Cardin angrily poked a thumb at his own chest.

"I'm Cardin Winchester. Heir to Winchester Industries? One of the biggest corporations in all of Remnant?"

Ruby faked a yawn, then the name Winchester struck a chord with her. "So your father is Bishop Winchester?"

Cardin smirked. Finally a little recognition. "That's right, and he's known for being one of the most ruthless businessman in the world."

"He's also the worst gambler I have ever seen!" Ruby began to laugh. She knew Bishop Winchester. He didn't frequent the Warehouse very often, but he was notorious for never winning a single bet. The one time he had won was because Ruby had been in his section and may have suggested he should bet on a certain fighter. Bishop was full of himself just like his son was, and Ruby couldn't help but laugh when she thought of Bishop's awful losing streak.

Cardin was shocked by the girl's outburst. No one knew that his father had a slight gambling problem, but this girl spoke as if she had seen it first-hand. He crowded in close and bent so his face was right in front of hers. "Who are you?" his voice was so quiet that it caused a shiver to go down Velvet's back.

She had seen Cardin angry, but that tone was downright dangerous. Even his friends shuffled nervously. Even they didn't like it when Cardin got like this.

Velvet wanted to back away, but she also didn't want to leave Ruby. The girl was only in this situation because she had been defending her.

Ruby could feel the tension in the air, and while she wasn't afraid of Cardin, she could feel that Velvet was. She didn't want to get into a fight right outside of Weiss's school and she had to deflate this situation fast.

"I'm nobody Cardin. Just some kid from the street who can't keep her mouth shut. You don't really feel like wasting your time talking to a nobody like me, right?" She kept her tone neutral in hopes that nothing she said sounded mocking, though that's how she really felt. Luckily Cardin accepted it and backed up a bit. Cardin still glared down at her, but his pride was forcing him to not lose his cool in front of everybody.

"Learn to keep your nose out of other people's business." With that he turned and walked away, his friends following behind him. Students who had been watching the small girl stand up to Cardin breathed a sigh of relief as he left, but were also a little disappointed that they didn't get to see Cardin be knocked down a peg or two.

Velvet sighed in relief as Cardin left, she had really thought that Cardin would lose it and actually attack the smaller girl in front of her. "Thank you…Ruby, right?"

Ruby turned and smiled at the faunus. "Yes, and you're welcome. I can't believe a douche canoe like him actually goes to Signal."

Velvet snorted a laugh. She blushed, but she had never heard the term douche canoe before and somehow it fit Cardin perfectly. Ruby grinned at her and then bent down to pick up the books that Velvet hadn't even noticed she dropped during Cardin's harassment. Together they quickly cleaned up the fallen books and papers.

"Soooo…if you go to Signal what are you doing working at Coco's café? Surely you're family makes enough since tuition here is a small fortune in and of itself."

Velvet was surprised by the question and looked into Ruby's curious silver eyes. She laughed a little nervously. "Well my family thinks it's important for me to earn my own spending money. You know, teach me the value of a dollar and all that."

Ruby just nodded her head, but she also had a considering look on her face as she regarded the fidgeting rabbit faunus. "Aaaand does Coco hang out at the café very often?"

Ruby watched as Velvet began to fidget even more, a slight blush moving across her cheeks that Ruby might have missed had she not been looking for it. Ruby smiled to herself. _Oh how cute._

"W-well her family does own the café so I guess Coco goes there fairly often." Velvet felt slightly nervous at Ruby's questions. She had a feeling those big silver eyes saw more than people wanted them to, and she really hoped that Ruby didn't see what she thinks she sees.

Ruby nodded again and looked around. She waited for a group of girls to pass by before she spoke again. "I bet that if you asked, Coco wouldn't mind hanging out somewhere else. Liiike maybe ask her if she wants to go to the movies or something."

 _She sees!_ Velvet just stared at Ruby in shock. "I-i…what…she wouldn't…how?" _How can she just see into the heart of someone she doesn't even know? How?!_

As if sensing Velvet's inner turmoil Ruby smiled gently at her. "It's not like you're obvious about it. I just thought it was weird that you would have a job if you could afford to go to Signal, and your reaction to my first question kind of tipped me off. Since Coco is the only thing I know that connects you to both Signal and the café I figured she must be the reason you work there."

Velvet just blushed. She hadn't told anyone that she had a crush on Coco, and to have it figured out so simply by a girl she doesn't even know made her nervous. If Ruby could figure it out then other people could too.

"I really do think she would say yes if you asked her." Before Velvet could respond to that a voice sounded loudly behind her.

"Who would say yes to what?"

Ruby and Velvet both jumped. They hadn't noticed the girl walking towards them and Velvet felt a sinking sensation in her stomach.

"Coco! What are you doing here?" Coco raised an eyebrow at Velvet's reaction. Both girls were looking at her slightly guiltily and Coco was suspicious of Ruby's presence.

"I was actually going to ask that question of Ruby here." Ruby could feel Coco's gaze even through the sunglasses the girl wore. Velvet was looking at her almost in horror, afraid that Coco may have heard more than she wanted. Ruby also felt nervous under that gaze and knew she had to diffuse this situation for both Velvet's and her own sake.

"Well originally I was across the street waiting for Weiss to come out of the school. Not that she knew I would be here, but I was hoping I'd see her when she left. It's not like I'm stalking her or anything! I mean, you guys told me you attend Signal, and I had no other way of getting in touch with Weiss because I really blew her off on Saturday. I felt bad about that! I wanted to apologize, and that's why I was across the street."

Velvet and Coco's faces were blank at the information Ruby was providing. The girl was rambling and waving her arms around in a completely comical fashion and they had no idea how to handle this side of Ruby. Before either one of them could say anything Ruby continued.

"The reason I'm right here though is because while I was waiting for Weiss- in a not stalkerish way- I saw some giant neanderthal bullying Velvet and so I came to this side of the street to get him to stop. I recognized Velvet from the Café and we were talking, and that's where you suddenly showed up."

Coco blinked a few times as her brain tried to process the barrage of information. Ruby was here to apologize to Weiss about blowing her off the other morning, and so had decided to wait outside of their school for her, but saw Velvet being harassed and…

"Cardin was messing with you again?!" Coco quickly turned to Velvet as her brain finally realized what Ruby had said. Velvet jumped at Coco's sudden outburst. "I swear, it's only the first day of school and that jerk starts with his shit already."

Velvet quickly turned to Coco as the other girl was visibly angry. "It's ok!" Coco raised both eyebrows at her incredulously. "I mean, it's not ok he was messing with me, but it's ok now because Ruby came and chased him off. You should have seen it. Cardin was on his knees because Ruby had his wrist turned the wrong way, and she got him to leave without doing anything else."

Velvet was wringing her hands together as she tried to calm the other girl down. Ruby just watched and waited as Coco let out a big sigh and turned back to her. Coco's lips lifted in a slight smile.

"Was he really on his knees?" Both girls nodded. Coco grinned, and both girls decided that it was not a nice grin at all. "Good. Next time I hope someone breaks his stupid, smug face."

Ruby sighed when Coco went on to ask Velvet if she was really alright. Coco didn't seem to have heard what she and Velvet had been talking about, and she was now completely distracted with making sure Velvet was ok.

"Yes yes, I'm fine. I have to get going now or I'm going to be late for work."

Coco scoffed at this. "Considering I'm the daughter of the owner I'm pretty sure I can make sure you don't get in trouble for being late. I'll walk with you, I was heading there anyway." Velvet blushed with happiness at this, and luckily Coco missed it because she had turned to look at Ruby again.

Ruby had been smirking at Velvet's expression, but instantly sobered when Coco slid off her sunglasses to give Ruby the full brunt of her gaze. Ruby stiffened under the intense stare and could only stand there and stare back.

"Thank you for helping Velvet. Weiss will be in the library, she wanted to get a head start on her studying." Ruby sighed in relief and began to relax until Coco pointed a finger at her.

"I don't want to hear that Weiss is upset because of you again. If you are mixed up in something that could possibly be dangerous for her then I think it would be best if you stayed away. If you promise not to hurt her then I'm fine with you going to see her."

Ruby stared at Coco. Coco obviously knew she wasn't just a delivery girl, and she was asking Ruby to make sure that whatever she was wouldn't hurt Weiss. Ruby still wasn't sure exactly what she felt for Weiss, or even why she felt it. She just wanted to see her again.

"My job won't hurt her in any way. I promise to do my best to make sure I don't hurt her either."

Coco looked into Ruby's eyes. This was probably the first real answer she had gotten from the girl, and even then it was still somewhat vague. It was good enough for her though, and she nodded at Ruby.

"The library is the building directly behind the main one. She should be in there." Ruby grinned and turned made her way through the school gates. She felt much more at ease now that most of the students were gone, and to avoid any teachers she decided to walk around the main building rather than through it.

Coco and Velvet watched Ruby walk through the gates before they turned to make their way to Café Adel. Velvet shook her head as she walked. She certainly hadn't expected her day to turn out like this. Being saved by a complete stranger, and to have that stranger figure out the secret she had keeping for what felt like forever now in just a few minutes. Now she was walking to work with her secret crush right next to her and she was so nervous she didn't know if she could speak if she tried.

Ruby's words replayed in her mind. _"I think she would say yes if you asked."_

The two girls walked in silence and Velvet decided to build up her courage for a change. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. Her heart pounded in her ears.

"H-hey, Coco? Could I-I ask you something?"

* * *

Ruby marveled at the sheer size of the library. She had never seen so many books in her entire life! Not that she really got out much to places that had books, but still. She snuck through the library, not wanting to run into anybody besides Weiss. She finally found her in a corner spot that was almost blocked off of the rest of the library by the shelves surrounding the small table Weiss sat at.

She stood there for a minute deciding the best way to approach her. Weiss was so engrossed in her notes already that she still hadn't noticed Ruby standing off to the side. Ruby walked over to the empty chair next to Weiss and cleared her throat softly.

"Is it ok if I sit here?"

Weiss was startled by the soft voice next to her. Her first reaction was to glare at whoever had interrupted her studying, but when she turned and saw a pair of silver eyes looking back at her she froze in shock.

Ruby could feel a blush creeping up her neck. _Really? Could I have been any more cheesy?_

Deciding to not wait for an answer Ruby pulled out the chair and sat down. Weiss continued to just stare at her and Ruby began to fidget with the hem of her hoodie as he nervousness grew.

"I'm sorry." Ruby's voice was practically a whisper, but Weiss heard her just fine and her eyes widened.

Ruby swallowed loudly. She really wasn't sure how to go about this. She had never done anything like this before and she felt so out of place in the huge library.

"I'm sorry for suddenly blowing you off the other morning. I felt really bad about it, and I decided to wait outside for school to be over so I could talk to you. Not in a creepy 'I waited outside your school so I could ambush you' kind of way! I just didn't have any other way to talk to you, which is my own fault, and while I was outside I ran into Coco. She's the one who told me you would be in the library. I wasn't just, like, wandering around your school trying to find you." _Oh Gods, shut up mouth! You're not helping!_

Weiss watched as a bright blush spread across Ruby's face. She was looking straight at the table now, and her fingers furiously picked at the edge of her hoodie. Weiss was still processing everything Ruby had said, but she was getting the gist that Ruby was apologizing for Saturday morning, and she was here because she wanted to talk to her.

The silence stretched on between them and Ruby was getting more nervous as it dragged on. She was afraid if she started to speak she would continue to ramble, and she felt she had done enough of that for one day. She finally decided she couldn't take it anymore and started to stand. Sometimes a hasty retreat was best in awkward situations, and she was all for getting out of the tense atmosphere.

"Well, I just wanted to say I was sorry. For Saturday, and now for interrupting your studying. I'm just gonna…" Weiss wrapped a hand around her wrist and gave a sharp tug. Startled she fell back into her seat and glanced at Weiss in surprise. Weiss stared back, her face again in the icy features she had had on Saturday.

"Why did you act like that on Saturday? Before anything else is said I want an explanation."

Ruby dropped her gaze again. How exactly was she supposed to explain? She pondered the best way to answer while Weiss patiently waited. Finally Ruby sighed and brought her gaze back up to Weiss.

"I guess the best answer is self-preservation." Weiss gave her a confused look. "I mean, I don't really live in the same world you do, and you and Coco were asking me questions I didn't want to answer. I thought it would be best to just walk away before you did." Ruby grimaced at the confession. She really didn't know how to do this.

Weiss looked at Ruby incredulously. "That is…incredibly immature." Ruby flinched at that. "You can't just ignore people because they ask questions you don't want to answer. And what was that about walking away before I did? You don't even know me. You have no idea what kind of person I am, that's why I wanted to talk to you more. How are we supposed to know if we want to be friends if we don't try to know each other, you dolt!"

Ruby had her shoulder up around her ears. Weiss was scary when she lectured. Weiss was glaring at her with a heavy frown on her face, and Ruby didn't know what to do or say in this circumstance.

Weiss looked at Ruby as she tried to disappear into her shoulders. Weiss could see that Ruby was incredibly uncomfortable in this situation, but Weiss wasn't sure how to make it better. In a way she could understand that Ruby had simply run away from situation she didn't know how to handle, but she could still be upset about it.

"Ruby." She waited until Ruby met her eyes again. "If you want to be friends with someone you have to let them in. It doesn't have to be all at once, but in some ways you have to let people get close to you. I'd like to try and be your friend, Ruby. Do you think you can try and be mine as well?"

Ruby looked at Weiss and thought over her words. She had come here to see Weiss because she had decided she wanted to get to know her. She was still apprehensive about opening up to anyone, but she wanted to try.

"I want to try and be your friend too." They both smiled a bit, but they both found this conversation to be embarrassing and they broke eye contact. Weiss cleared her throat.

"Can I get your phone number this time?" Ruby grinned a little sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head. "Yes, just give me a day or two to get some pre-paid cards for it. It really is a work phone, and I don't want them to notice I'm using it for personal stuff."

They wrote down each other's numbers and exchanged them. Now that things had been settled they were both feeling uncomfortable, neither one sure of how to go on from here. Weiss decided she would try and keep the conversation going.

"So which questions should I avoid so I don't make you run off again?" Ruby gave the question some serious thought, but even she couldn't say for sure what would be a safe topic or not.

"Can we just take it question by question? I'm not too sure myself if I 'll ever be ready to answer some questions, so it might be better if we just kind of wing it." Weiss thought that was fine for now. She herself had some questions she wouldn't want to answer right now.

"We can worry about those when we know each other better." They both smiled. They both felt a lot better after the conversation and resultant budding friendship.

Ruby looked at her phone and saw that she had to be at Ember in about half hour for her first fight of the day. "I have to get to work right now Weiss, but I'll text you when I get some more minutes on my phone."

"I didn't know that people still did that." Weiss had one eyebrow raised as she regarded Ruby's old style flip phone. "I didn't even know they still made flip phones. That thing is a dinosaur."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Well Princess, us peasants don't have several hundred dollars to just drop on a phone, when this twenty dollar piece of crap does just fine."

Weiss would have gotten upset, but she saw the mischief in Ruby's eyes and knew that she was being teased. She wanted to reciprocate, but she had never been teased like this before and had never teased anyone before. Luckily Ruby seemed to realize she wasn't sure how to respond.

"Sorry again for interrupting your studying. I'll talk to you later." With that Ruby got up and began to walk towards the exit. She paused before she fully exited the little alcove created by the high shelves of books. "Thank you… for wanting to be my friend."

Ruby quickly left before she could hear if Weiss responded. If she blushed any harder she would be concerned that other parts of her body weren't getting enough blood.

Weiss blushed as she heard Ruby's quick footsteps take her away from the secluded corner that Weiss had claimed as her personal study corner since freshman year. She grinned to herself as she turned back to her books.

"Thank you for wanting to be mine."

* * *

Ruby looked at her next opponent. This was her last fight before she had to leave to make it to the Warehouse in time for her shift. She pressed a hand into her side, giving the impression that her ribs were hurting her a lot more than they actually were. They were still sore from her first day, and the hits she had taken earlier had hurt like a bitch, but the pain was tolerable. She just wanted the girl in front of her to think she wasn't completely fine.

Her opponent, who went by the name Hazelnut, had a short metal pipe in her left hand. Ruby suspected that the girl was actually right handed because the muscles were built up slightly more in the girls shoulders, probably from extensive use of the metal pipe in her hand. Ruby already knew that the perfect moment to take the girl down was when she would switch it to her dominant hand.

If Ruby was right then Hazelnut would try a fake maneuver to make Ruby think the pipe would be in her left hand, but would slip it into her right at the last moment to get the surprise hit. This fight would be quick, but intense.

Cinder's voice called down from above for them to start, and Hazelnut wasted no time rushing at Ruby and swinging the pipe up towards her chin. Ruby leaned back just in time to avoid the pipe, but was rewarded with a knee in the chest. Rather than try and stay close to her opponent where Ruby would have the advantage she stumbled back, playing up the damage to her supposed already injured ribs. _Just have to wait for the right moment._

The crowd was loud this evening and called out encouragement or insults at the girls in the ring. It was much louder that Ruby's first day considering she was here at the start of the evening fights. Ruby was satisfied with the size of the crowd. Most of the money won during the night was made between 9 to 12, and then 3 to 5 in the morning. Gamblers tended to bet the most money when they first arrived, and before closing time if they were having a good night. Since it was closing in on 10 o'clock right now Ruby was hoping to get a pretty good payout from this fight.

Hazelnut rushed forward again trying to knock the smaller girl off balance and sent a fast, swinging kick toward Ruby's stomach. Ruby caught the others girl leg against her side and fell with the momentum, dragging Hazelnut down with her. Ruby rolled quickly to her feet and aimed a kick into the girl's side. Hazelnut also quickly rolled with the kick and scrambled to her feet, the pipe still clenched in her left hand. Hazelnut backed up to the opposite of the arena to put distance between and Ruby felt anticipation zing up her spine. _Here it comes._

Hazelnut bent her knees so she was in a half crouch, and she adjusted her grip on the pipe in her hand. Ruby grinned at the move and crouched down as well, preparing for the charge that Hazelnut was planning. Hazelnut began her charge keeping her torso low as she ran. Ruby rushed forward as well to meet the girl in the middle of the arena. Hazelnut swung her left arm back behind her back as if preparing for a heavy swing. Ruby immediately twisted to the girls right and reached over her back to snatch the pipe the girl was passing into her right hand.

Ruby gripped the pipe and gave a quick kick to shocked girls knee. Her leg crumbled beneathe her and she fell to her knees on the mat. She didn't even have time to move before Ruby swung the pipe into the back of the girls head. Hazelnut fell unconscious to the floor and Ruby was declared the winner.

Ruby quickly dropped the pipe and moved to check on Hazelnut on the floor. Ruby hated using weapons, but it had been the best way to end the fight quickly, and get the best customer reaction. The onlookers cheered at the result of the fight, a lot of gamblers having put their bet in the newcomer who had won all of her fights so far, including beating the Stone Flower Poppy.

Ruby helped the staff move Hazelnut back to Embers fighter lounge and she rushed to the medical room to get an icepack for the girl. Hazelnut was just beginning to stir when Ruby returned and placed the cold pack under the girls head.

Hazelnut looked up at the ceiling and groaned at the pounding in her head. She looked up at the small girl currently placing the icepack under her aching head. Rose had seemed like an unlikely fighter upon first introductions, but the more Hazelnut saw her fight the more she had dreaded her own match with the girl. Hazelnut knew she had rushed into the fight instead of taking her time to plan her moves and accepted the throbbing pain in her head as her lesson to always remember to stay calm in a fight.

"You're something else kid, you know that?" Hazelnut meant more than her fighting abilities. Rose seemed to look after almost each downed opponent afterward. There had only been two times that the girl had simply left another fighter in the arena and not helped them patch up any injuries they had. The fighters at Ember were not used to the attention and always waved the girl off, but she would stop and hand them bandages or a bottle of water regardless. No one knew how to handle the kid who could almost effortlessly beat them to a pulp, but turned around and patched them up afterwards.

Ruby just shrugged at Hazelnut's comment, though with her eyes closed the other girl missed it entirely.

"Keep the ice on it for a while to avoid swelling. Take it easy for awhile." With that Ruby turned and grabbed the change of clothes she had stashed in one of the lockers against the far wall. She changed quickly and washed the sweat and blood from her face in the tiny bathroom and left to climb the stairs to Cinder's office.

Cinder called for her to enter when she knocked and Ruby found the older girl grinning at her from behind her desk.

"I had a feeling hiring you would be interesting, but I didn't expect to enjoy watching you fight quite this much. You manage to surprise me in almost every fight." Cinder looked at the young girl in front of her and smiled. Cinder didn't often get the chance to be genuinely pleased with something, but then again there always had been something about Ruby that brought out her more emotional side.

Ruby gave a small smile in return and raised an eyebrow. "I never claimed to be predictable, and I live to entertain." They both chuckled at the sarcasm.

"Well entertain you did Ruby. Your payout is actually decent for only four fights. I gave you a small bonus for smacking Hazelnut with her own pipe. The crowd loved it." Cinder handed Ruby an envelope and her eyes widened at the thickness of it.

"You will have to thank Emerald for tallying up your winnings so quickly. You're the only fighter that gets cashed out early, and the only one who gets your payment directly from me. You should feel special."

Ruby ignored the slightly mocking tone. Cinder had always had a way to make her teasing sound like she wasn't teasing at all. She just shoved her winnings into the pocket of her hoodie and turned back towards the door.

"Thanks, Cinder. I'll tell Emerald I appreciate it on my way out. I'm gonna be late if I stay any longer." Cinder just gave her a small wave and Ruby headed back down the stairs to get to a room similar to the one at the Warehouse. Emerald had bright green hair and a 'I may look nice, but I could end you' vibe. Ruby saw her sitting behind the payout counter already cashing out certain bets.

"Thanks for paying me out early Emerald, I'll see you next time!" Ruby called as she rushed to the back door. She heard a quiet "Whatever," behind her as she left and just shook her head.

"Good bye, Fleece!" She called behind her at the big ram faunus at the door as she began her run to the Warehouse. She felt good despite the aches and pains of her body. She had had a good day and she couldn't keep the smile off her face as she thought about it all. She had gotten things settled with Weiss, and she had a pocketful of cash that was going right into her savings. She had a decent hunk of cash on her, and it made her glad she had decided to approach Cinder for a job. With the extra money she could finally put money away to get her and Yang out of this life.

She needed to save up enough to pay for a few months' worth of rent for a decent apartment plus utilities and food. Before it had seemed like they would never get enough money to make the dream they had come true, but now Ruby thought they could actually do it. The amount of money Ruby had won was a testament to just how much Oakmont skimped them. Having rent taken directly out of their pay always made for lousy nights, and everyone knew that Oakmont was a lousy cheapskate. If he didn't have his redeeming qualities no one would stick around for long.

Ruby arrived at the Warehouse just in time to collect her box and get to her section. She pulled out her bet book and prepared for another few hours of work before she could get home to put her money in her stash. She walked down the line as the first fight was announced, and she grinned as she heard her sister's name followed by Melanie's. _The good night just gets better and better._


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in almost three weeks. I don't really have an update schedule, but I have been trying to get a new chapter up every week. Sorry I'm not more consistent haha. Before I start getting into the reviews I just wanted to say a few things that a few people have commented on throughout the story. In regard to the fact that the story has a lot of grammar issues, and the writing style is a bit choppy I just want to say that I do almost no editing before I post a chapter. Awful of me, I know. I am just the kind of person that could re-write and re-write the same paragraph and still never be happy with it. I feel that if I don't just throw the chapter out there I never will. At some point I really want to go back and fix all the little mistakes like missing or double words, but I write these chapters week to week. As soon as I am done with a chapter I begin writing the next one, so I don't have anything planned out before hand. Velvet wasn't supposed to go to the same school as Coco, and their relationship was just something that felt right in the moment so I added it.**

 **Okay, lastly if anyone doesn't want me to shout out their reviews just let me know and I won't add you to this section. I know a lot of people feel uncomfortable about stuff like that.**

 **Shout outs:**

 **Webdog177- Thanks for the review! You thanked me for sharing, I thank you for reading. It means a lot.**

 **naruhinafan11- Good to see you again! Thanks for the review as always. You're the best.**

 **GrnDrgnzrd - When you say see you next chapter you mean it, haha. Thanks for reading, I hope you think things continue to get good lol.**

 **BerserkBookWorm- Thank you for the review! I really like that Ruby just knows who is a good person too. I didn't plan that, it just sort of happened haha. I'm not planning on Ruby getting severely beaten, but some fights will definitely be bad. I hope you like the next chapter.**

 **Hellwyrm- Thank you for the review and the favorite. I love that you have been ninja following the story for a while lol. Thank you for the comments about the grammar. When I read it I thought 'It can't be that bad', but I went back and re-read the chapters. It's bad haha! You're completely right, I always say words in my head that I don't actually write down. My brain just moves faster than my fingers I guess haha.**

 **RedtheWolf2- Thank you for the review. Constructive criticism is always welcome, and I really appreciate it. I can understand how the writing could be jarring when I switch perspectives like that. That's why I used their names so much, it was a way for me to keep track of who was talking and to who. Again, I do almost no editing before I publish a chapter, kind of because I want to see how well I can do when I am not constantly editing my own work. I tried to be more careful this chapter, and I hope I did a good job keeping the perspectives separate this time so it is easier to read.**

 **On to the chapter!**

* * *

Weiss sank down low in the driver's seat of her car, hoping that the tinting on the windows would help hide her presence in the car. Curiosity and stubbornness had brought her to drive her newly fixed car back to the same street she had met Ruby and wait in hopes of seeing her. Weiss had berated herself several times throughout the night for practically stalking Ruby, but it was now 3 a.m Saturday morning and she hadn't seen Ruby since Monday when the younger girl had visited her after school.

Ruby had texted her on Wednesday, and the two had kept up a pretty consistent stream of texts going the rest of the week, but they hadn't met up at all even though Weiss had offered to treat Ruby to an early dinner since the girl seemed to work in the early evenings…and the late evenings…and the early mornings. Weiss blew out an exasperated breath. The young brunette always seemed to be working, and Weiss was sick of hearing work as an excuse to not meet up. What teenager worked that much; and all those hours?

Weiss was worried that Ruby was lying to her about work so that she could avoid her for some reason. She was also somehow even more worried that Ruby was telling the truth and really did work that much. If Ruby really did work as much as she said she did then that could only mean that she was working in less than reputable places. Weiss had researched the child labor laws and it was clear that it was illegal for Ruby to work not only the amount of hours she did, but also to work such strange hours. Ruby had refused to tell Weiss about her job beyond that she was a delivery girl, and Weiss was now ninety percent positive that it was either a lie, or not the whole truth.

Weiss remembered that they had both agreed to respect that the other had some questions they weren't ready to answer, but Weiss was concerned. _Okay, maybe I'm mostly curious, but this is also getting ridiculous! You can't avoid me forever Ruby._

She was so caught in her internal fuming that she almost missed the three figures stepping out of a dark alleyway across the street. Just like the night they met Ruby was wearing her red hoodie, and a pair of ripped blue jeans. Yang's blonde hair was as wild as Weiss remembered and she was wearing a brown leather half coat over a white tank top, and a pair of cutoff jean shorts. Weiss didn't know the third girl, but she was dressed similarly in a black half coat over a white shirt, and a pair of black, ripped jeans. She would have looked more dangerous had she not had a black bow tied on top of her head.

No, the most dangerous looking one at the moment was the tall blonde who was glaring down at her sister. Weiss took a closer look and noticed that there were obvious bruises on Ruby's face that she could see from the dark interior of her car. The trio of girls stopped as Yang stepped in front of the smaller brunette and seemed to be talking to her through gritted teeth. The black haired girl that was with them looked shocked before she schooled her features and watched the sisters impassively. Ruby was glaring back at Yang and it appeared as if the two were arguing.

Weiss really wanted to know what they were saying, but she was parked on the other side of the street and she didn't want to risk rolling the window down for fear of being seen. The two sisters kept up the back and forth for a few minutes when the black haired girl walked up and rested a hand on each of their shoulders. She said something and Ruby seemed to calm down, but Yang shook off the hand before saying something that caused the other girl to take a step back. The blonde turned and stomped off leaving the other two behind.

The white haired girl watched as Ruby placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder. Her bright blue eyes narrowed just a bit as she noticed that the two girls appeared a little too…close. The girl with the bow in her hair nodded at something that Ruby said and gave the smaller girl a small smile. Weiss grumbled as she saw Ruby give her a big grin in return. She realized that she was feeling jealous of the raven haired girl and she shook her head to clear it. _Ruby is allowed to have other friends. We just started being friends, so it's not like I should expect for Ruby to smile at me like that. She has probably known that girl for a lot longer._

She was so caught up in her mental lecture to herself that she had failed to notice that the black haired girl had pointed to her car and drawn it's presence into Ruby's notice. She didn't notice as Ruby parted ways with the other girl and walked over to the car. She only noticed that there was a sudden tapping at her window that startled her from her musings, and a scowling Ruby peering into the window. Weiss gulped as Ruby half glared at her and motioned for her to roll her window down. _I am so busted._

* * *

Ruby had not been having a good day. She had started off the week on such a high note, but things only went down- hill from Monday. She had known that working for both Warehouse and Ember would be physically draining, but she had thought that she could handle it. Over the past week the constant running-literally- from job to job had been taking a toll on her. The late nights and early mornings with no breaks in between had caused her to be at less than her best during her fights.

She had a newfound respect for her sister who took beatings every day and never complained, and never let her injuries affect her performance in the arena. After a week of constant hits and kicks her body felt like it had been hit by a truck. Her body had been given no time to heal before more abuse was heaped upon it, and she had no other choice but to grit her teeth a bear with it. She had chosen to do this; she just hadn't realized how much the job at Ember would affect her.

Then tonight her exhaustion and physical condition had caught up with her and she had almost lost her first fight at Ember. She had been so tired by her fourth fight, and her body in so much pain that she became sloppy. She made stupid mistakes and she had gotten her ass kicked. The only reason she won was because the girl she had fought didn't realize that a choke hold didn't mean you couldn't breathe. It meant that the arteries on your neck were squeezed and blocked the blood flow to the brain. Ruby herself had been about to pass out as she was pummeled by the bigger girl as they wrested on the ground. It had been too close and Ruby was trying to figure out a way to keep this lifestyle up long enough to earn the money she needed.

After her last few fights there was no way to hide her bruises anymore. Her face was a black and blue mess, her lip was split in two different places, she had a cut above her right eye, and the only thing hiding the mess that was her body was her baggy red hoodie. Yang had been livid when she saw her. Her sister knew she was fighting somebody, and Ruby was just glad that her big, blonde sister assumed she was getting into fights on the streets. She did not need to have her second job discovered right now.

Yang had held in her temper until they had left work. Yang and Blake were both each other's last fight, and Ruby had finished her shift when their fight ended. Yang had won again, but not by much. Ruby decided that her sister had been too mad to register any pain her body might be in. Since Blake's Krav Maga style was meant to cause pain and overwhelm an opponent, Yang's pain tolerance was probably the only reason the brawler had won. Blake was still crashing on their couch so they had all left the Warehouse together. That's when Yang demanded that her silver eyed little sister tell her what she had been up to.

They had argued, and Ruby and Yang never argued. They squabbled and pestered each other, they had tussles or spats. One thing they never did was out right fight with each other. When Yang had stopped her on the street and gotten in her face Ruby had been too tired and upset to handle it calmly.

"I'm not going to put up with your moods anymore Ruby." Yang had snarled through gritted teeth. "I thought we worked past this when you were twelve, and I won't go through this again." Blake appeared startled at Yang's outburst.

Those words hit the smaller girl harder than anyone knew. "You're not the one going through anything, Yang. I'm fine, you're the one making a bigger deal out of this than it has to be." Ruby glared up at her sister, hardened silver eyes meeting lilac.

They went back and forth for a few more minutes before the Faunus finally couldn't take anymore and reached out to lay a hand on both of their shoulders. "Yang maybe Ruby is right. She said that there was nothing wrong, and it's not like we can really say anything about Ruby getting into a fight or two on the street."

Ruby was glad for the support. The older girls' words made her take a step back from the argument and she gave herself a mental shake to get rid of any lingering anger towards Yang. The blonde however did not find any comfort in the Faunus's words and turned to her with her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Don't butt in where you don't belong Blake! You have no idea what you're talking about." Blake took a step back at the harsh tone and simply watched as the bigger girl stormed off.

Ruby put her hand on the taller girls shoulder. "I'm sorry Blake. I appreciate you trying to get us to calm down. Yang is just angry right now; when we get home I think she will be calmed down enough to talk."

The faunus sent Ruby a small smile at the encouragement, and was rewarded by a big grin in return. Ruby had enjoyed having Blake around this past week, and she suspected that Yang had enjoyed it as well- if maybe for a different reason than Ruby had. The young teen had noticed that sometimes-only sometimes- Yang had actually let the faunus get a little closer than she let others.

Ruby was suddenly pulled from her thoughts when Blake made a slight scoffing sound. "Someone must be pretty stupid to leave a car that nice parked in this neighborhood. It'll be stripped by sunrise."

Ruby looked to where she was pointing and saw a slightly familiar light blue BMW parked across the street. Silver eyes squinted as she tried to remember where she had seen the car before. It wasn't until she could just barely make out the silhouette of someone in the car that she remembered whose car that was. Then all she felt was angry.

"Blake go on ahead without me. I have some business with that car I need to take care of." The faunus almost questioned her about it, but Ruby was already making her way across the street. Blake just shrugged and continued on her way home.

Ruby stayed upset all the way from walking over to the car to Weiss rolling down the window. It was the look of fear on the blue eyed girls face that changed her anger to worry. "Weiss, is everything ok?"

Ruby watched as the other girls eyes widened in surprise. "I thought you were mad at me?"

She shrugged. "Well, I was, but if you are afraid of something then I don't really have a reason to be angry." The white haired girl just looked at her with a somewhat disbelieving expression.

"No, I was afraid because you were mad at me." Now it was Ruby's eyes that widened in surprise.

"Am I that scary?" Weiss could only give a slight chuckle at that. "Well with bruises like that you could scare anyone."

The younger girls blush was only barely hidden by the dark purple and blue discolorations on her skin. She had completely forgotten the bruising was there, and now she was standing in front of Weiss looking as bad as she possibly could. Ruby groaned in embarrassment in her head.

"What happened to you Ruby? You didn't get bruises like that being a delivery girl." Ruby grimaced at that. _Crud._

"W-well what if I was saving someone who had no clue how to defend themselves, and they had decided it would be a good idea to go to one of the worst neighborhoods and sit in a very expensive, noticeable car. Said person is practically live bait." Ruby regained some of her glare as she turned the situation back to Weiss' presence in the street. Weiss blushed a little, but was also slightly indignant.

"I can defend myself!" She crossed her arms and glared slightly at the silvery eyed teen by her window. Ruby outright scoffed at the words.

"I think what happened the night we first met is a clear indication that you can't. Jim and Joe are thugs, but to anyone with any sort of training they are like kids throwing temper tantrums." Ruby softened her glare as the wealthy girl lowered her gaze in frustration.

"No one should be on this side of town unless they can defend themselves properly. I don't want anything to happen to you." They both blushed slightly at that. Ruby sighed as she felt the lack of sleep catching up to her quickly. Her limbs already felt heavy, but now it was getting harder to keep her eyes open.

"I want you to go home now Weiss. We will talk more about this later, but right now I don't have the mental capacity to talk clearly for long." Weiss wanted to protest, this was the first time she had seen Ruby all week since Monday. However she could see the exhaustion quickly seeping into the younger girls eyes. She gave the girl a small smile and nodded as she turned her car back on.

Weiss waited for Ruby to back away, but the younger girl stayed at her window. When she turned to look at her questioningly a hand was suddenly cupping her cheek and she squeaked in surprise.

"Y'know, Snowflake? You really are very beautiful when you smile." Startled blue eyes locked onto silver as they lazily traced her features. Before Weiss could say anything in return the hand was drawn away. "G'night, Weiss."

Ruby left without waiting for a response and headed down the street. She only turned around long enough to make sure that the car was indeed going down the street towards the more reputable section of town. As she began walking again she knew that she should be feeling some sort of embarrassment at what she had just said to Weiss, but she was too tired at the moment to fully process her own actions. She trudged the rest of the home and found Yang waiting outside of the building for her.

The tall girl instantly came over to Ruby and wrapped her in her muscular arms. Luckily for the younger girls ribs it was not one of her bone crushing squeezes, but a gentle embrace that seemed to convey everything the elder was feeling. "I'm sorry," Yang whispered as she simply held the smaller girl.

"Me too." Just like that their fight was over, and all was forgiven. The sisters had grown far past needing to talk their issues out. They had an almost complete understanding of one another, and that one hug and the soft apology were all that was needed to bring the girls back together.

Ruby wearily leaned into her sister's shoulder, her cheek pressed against Yang's warm shoulder. She was suddenly lifted up and carried into the building. Too tired to say anything more she let herself be carried all the way to the apartment on the third floor. Yang was barely winded after climbing all those stairs with Ruby in her arms. Ruby vaguely heard Blake's voice as she was carried to the bedroom and laid in the bed. Her shoes were removed and the covers pulled up to her chin, not bothered at all that she was still in her regular clothes.

"Love you, Yang," she murmured before sleep pulled her down into its deep embrace.

* * *

Yang looked down at the brunette already breathing deeply in slumber and gave a soft smile.

"Love you too, lil' sis."

Re-entering the living room of the small apartment she found Blake sitting on the couch and plopped down next to the dark haired faunus with a heavy sigh. Leaning her head back and closing her eyes she simply enjoyed the silence in the apartment.

"Are you ok?" Lilac eyes blinked open at the question. She looked over to see Blake looking at her questioningly. "Yeah, I'm just tired I guess."

The faunus raised an eyebrow. Yang could see that the other girl didn't really believe her, but she didn't question her about it.

"If you wanna talk about it I'll be happy to listen. Only if you want to of course." With that the raven haired girl picked up a book from the small coffee table and began to read. Yang looked at her for a while as the faunus read. She had apologized to the other girl when she had first arrived home, but she still felt guilty for what she said before she stormed off. The only other person she had ever apologized to was Ruby, and even then she had never had to say much more than 'I'm sorry' to clear the air. This time just saying the words didn't feel like enough. She didn't have the same kind of bond with Blake, and she knew that the other girl wasn't likely to fully understand just how bad she felt about it. She took a deep breath.

"I want to apologize again for what I said earlier," she said stiffly. She cleared her throat awkwardly as the faunus raised slightly startled amber eyes to meet her own. "I know I said it earlier, but I just wanted to say that I know I handled that whole situation badly. I'm very protective of Ruby, and it's just been us for so long that when you stepped in it felt like an intrusion. I want you to know that I appreciate that you were trying to get us to talk about it calmly."

Yang's cheeks heated up in a slight blush. _Gods, could I have sounded anymore stupid?_

"That was very…proper. Do you always talk like a schoolmarm when you apologize?" Given the slight smirk on Blake's face she knew that she was being teased, but she felt her blush deepen at the words. She folded her arms and grumbled under her breath. "I do not sound like a schoolmarm."

The dark haired faunus gave the smallest of chuckles at that. Yang felt a hand rest on her shoulder. "Thank you. I know you were just upset. I didn't mean to intrude on anything, and I'll be more careful about stuff like that from now on."

The tall blonde simply nodded at that and stood up to make her way into the bedroom. She stopped at the doorway and took a quick glance over her shoulder.

"I wouldn't really mind if you intruded a little bit. It'd be kinda nice, actually." Cheeks turning scarlet at the small confession she hurried into the bedroom and shut the door quickly but quietly. Changing into her sleep wear she slid gently onto the mattress next to her sister. She placed her hand briefly on the small girls bruised cheek. _We are going to talk about this again, but calmly this time. Then after that you are going to tell me what to say to Blake after what I just said because I have no idea what I'm doing!_

* * *

Blake stared at the closed bedroom door in shock. She sat there processing what Yang had said to her, and she felt a small blush rise to her cheeks. She couldn't deny the blonde brawler didn't interest her in a way. When she had decided to start her life over in this city she had planned on staying distant, not forming any bonds with anybody, and only relying on herself for a change. Now here she was crashing on someone else's couch, and feeling drawn to a girl who was reported as keeping herself closed off.

She turned off the lamp next to the couch and snuggled down under her blanket. She didn't want to acknowledge the fact that her insides warmed a little at the thought that Yang wanted to be closer to her, but here she was, undeniably happy that the blonde opened up to her little. She closed her eyes with a small smile on her face. _Maybe, just maybe, we can both open up to each other._


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello Everyone! I am so so sorry that this took so long to put up. I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter, like, I deleted and re-wrote paragraphs over and over again. I'm still not very happy with the end result, but I can't keep working on this. I tried to edit this chapter better than I did the first few chapters, and hopefully there are not too many mistakes in here.**

 **I also want to thank everyone who has followed and favorited this story. This story officially has 200 followers, 101 favorites, and 50 reviews! You guys are the absolute best! When I started this I never expected the reaction this story has gotten, and I really appreciate the reviews and encouragement I have been getting. I only hope I continue to do so well and better for you guys. Onto the shout outs!**

 **RayD2Kill: Sorry, I didn't mean to make it seem like something bad was going to happen. Not sure if you wanted something bad to happen or not, but nothing bad happens this chapter either.**

 **naruhinafan11: Hello again my most enthusiastic follower! Thank you for the review, and I'm so glad that you continue to like this story.**

 **: Hello, and thank you for the review! You are so sweet, and I hope that you continue to enjoy this story. This is for reviewer Katzhammer, but i can't get your full name to show up, so I'm sorry I had to put it here.**

 **RedtheWolf2: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you saw improvement last chapter, and hopefully you see at least the same level of quality this chapter. Thank you for offering to be a beta reader; although I'm still not quite sure how beta readers work lol. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **GrnDrgnzrd: Good to see you again! Thank you for the review, and I totally understand the need to process. It's really funny because as I am writing this the clock reads 1:15 so I understand about late nights haha. Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Ellight1: Hello there! I see you posted 2 reviews, which is awesome! I am planning a happy ending for this fic, so don't worry too much. I'm really glad you are enjoying this story, and I'll try and get my updates up faster so you don't have to fake your own death again lol.**

 **BerserkBookWorm: Hello again! I'm really glad that you continue to like this story. I'm trying to work in more bumblebee as we move forward, and whiterose will be developing much deeper hopefully in the next chapter or two. Honestly the characters aren't listening to me very well, so sometimes I feel certain things are being dragged out haha.**

 **Ww4: Thank you for your review! I like badass Ruby too! There are no fight scenes in this chapter, but I have a good one planned for later in the story that I can't wait to write for you guys.**

 **iamking: I like your style. Short and to the point. I can respect that. Thank you!**

* * *

Ruby practically slammed her fist down on the alarm clock as it blared from the bedside table. Her body felt stiff and heavy, and all she wanted was to burrow further into the warm blankets around her and go back to sleep. Cursing softly beneath her breath she slid out of bed and walked silently out the room, past Blake on the couch, and turned on the shower as hot as it would go. She knew the water never really went past lukewarm, but her muscles were already too stiff to handle a cold shower.

She let her eyes drift closed as she stood under the mildly warm spray and let the water ease away at least some of the tension in her shoulders. Thinking back on the past week she couldn't believe that Yang could fight day after day the way she did and not collapse from exhaustion. Ruby had only been doing this for a week and she felt dead on her feet.

She smiled a bit bitterly to herself. She had felt so sure she could handle fighting and running at the same time, but her body was proving her wrong. The money she was making was fantastic, and she was starting to think she could actually earn the money needed quicker than she had originally thought. She just wasn't sure how long she could work the way she way she was day after day.

She glanced down at her body and saw that there were more bruises than actual skin tone on almost every inch of her. The past few days she had taken more hits because she was too tired to fight with her usual fluidity. She had been slower to react, and slower to think. The only reason she had won these past few days was because she had resorted to purposefully injuring some of her opponents.

Her eyes darkened. She hated to admit it, but the mental toll working at Ember was taking on her was the worst part of all this. She hadn't thought having to fight until you were the only one left standing would be like this. She had naively thought she could just subdue her opponents without having to hurt them too badly, but the past few days had taught her otherwise. Her right hand clenched as she remembered the feeling of using a pair of brass knuckles to hit someone, over and over. She hadn't even thought about it, she just picked them up from the floor in a desperate move because she didn't want to lose.

Now that the other fighters knew that she wasn't an easy win they were now more ferocious during their fights, and they were harder to surprise. Ruby didn't like what their ferocity made her do to win. She liked fighting; bruises and blood never bothered her. Taking things too far in a fight is what she resented. She had heard stories that sometimes fights in Ember were literally kill or be killed, and she hoped things never reached that point.

Shaking her head to dispel the dark turn her thoughts were taking she stepped out of the shower to continue getting ready. She dressed in the jeans and tank top she had set out for herself the day before. Wiping the fog off the warped and aged mirror she brushed her teeth and moved to put her hair up in a short ponytail. She paused as she noticed that the first two inches or so of her roots were a dark black with a slight red tinge beginning to show through where it met the lighter brown color she had been dyeing her hair for years now. She hadn't realized that it had been so long since she last dyed her hair that her roots had grown in so much. _Great, now I have to pick up hair dye at some point today. What a pain._

She finished in the bathroom and made her way back to the bedroom to get her phone before she headed into work for the day. She stopped in surprise when she noticed that Yang was sitting crossed legged on top of the covers and appeared to be going through her phone. Yang never got up this early since she wasn't due at work until the evenings anyway.

Silver eyes suddenly widened as the taller girl sprang off the bed and rushed over to her. Ruby gulped as the blondes lilac eyes were flashing furiously as they focused on smaller girl realized that she was not wearing her hoodie, and the bruising showed darkly on her exposed shoulders and arms. That's what Yang's eyed were focused on. _Oh, crud!_

* * *

Yang felt her heartbeat pick up as she looked at the extent of her sister's bruising. Her face had been bad enough, but her shoulders and arms were just as bad if not worse. She didn't think she wanted to see just how far the bruising went as it disappeared under the thin edge of the tank top. She was angry, but more than that she was worried and scared for her little sister. All week she had noticed Ruby's usual exuberance was dwindling. Each day she became more tired and sluggish, and each day another bruise or scrape would be on her face. The younger girl always claimed that she had fallen, or had just had a small fight with some thug on the street that knew she was a runner.

Yang wasn't buying it anymore. These bruises were far too extensive to be the small scuffles that Ruby was claiming. The blonde brawler herself hardly earned that many bruises, and she was a payed fighter.

She took a deep breath in through her nose to calm herself down. She had promised that they would discuss this calmly, and she was determined to see that through. The gently laid a hand on the smaller girls shoulder.

"Rubes we need to talk about what is really going on with you." Silver eyes widened at the restraint shown by the taller girl. Ruby shrugged off the hand and backed up in trepidation.

"I have to get to work Yang, we can talk later." The younger tried to dash back out the door but was caught around the waist by long, muscular arms. Yang shut the door with her foot as she carried her sister and flopped her down on the bed.

Lilac eyes flashing with temper she glared down at the younger girl. "Work can fuck off! You are more important than work, and you are not leaving until we talk!" With that Yang sat on the bed next to her sister and crossed her arms, waiting for the other girl to begin.

She watched Ruby give a quick, longing glance at the door before she situated herself so she was sitting upright. The silver eyed girl just sat there looking at her hands in her lap as the silence dragged on between them. Yang was beginning to lose her patience with the silence.

"Ruby, just tell me what is going on!" She finally snapped. "We tell each other everything! Why is this so hard for you? If someone is giving you trouble just tell me and I'll make sure they wished they never heard your name."

Yang gave her sister a pleading look. This might not be as calm as she had wished, but she wasn't angry this time. Now she was just worried and…hurt. It hurt that her sister felt she couldn't tell her something. She realized that that was the reason she had been so angry last night, and she mentally berated herself for losing her temper. Only Ruby knew just how hot tempered the big blonde really was. _Which is probably why she isn't telling me anything. Stupid temper!_

Yang was a bit startled when she felt something grab her hand. She hadn't realized the younger girl had moved as she was lost in thought. Purple eyes locked onto silver as the sisters stared at each other.

"Yang…I'm fine. Just wait!" Ruby cried when Yang went to protest that she was **not** fine. "I know the bruises look bad, but I promise I'm handling everything just fine. I can't tell you everything right now, but I will. Can you trust me enough to let me do things my way for a little bit? Can you put up with me keeping a secret for a while?"

Yang felt a jab in her chest at her sister's words. ' _I'm not going to put up with your moods anymore Ruby'_ she had said last night. She had apologized, but she should have realized that her words were a bit more hurtful than she had meant. Feeling guilty all over again she pulled the smaller girl into her lap and gave her a strong but gentle hug.

"Rubes, I do trust you. It's the rest of the world that I doubt. I don't 'put up' with anything, and I'm sorry that I said that last night. We may not be real sisters, but you're the only one I consider family. My feelings won't change just because of a secret or two, and a stupid fight isn't enough to change them either."

She pulled her sister away enough so that she could look into her eyes. Teary purple eyes met teary silver eyes, and Yang knew she wouldn't press her sister for any more information. Without meaning to she had implied that she would leave Ruby just because the younger girl wanted to keep something to herself, and that was unforgivable.

"I'm never going to leave you Ruby, just like I know you'll never leave me. I'm not your parents, and I'll never abandon you. I didn't mean to make it sound like my feelings were conditional."

Yang smiled when Ruby simply nodded. She pulled her in for another hug, and the two sisters just sat there for a minute enjoying the embrace. It had been a while since they had needed to talk like this to each other, but it felt good to open up completely every once in a while. The blonde knew that they wore masks for the rest of the world; she just hadn't realized they had forgotten to take them off when they were alone.

"Yang…" her eyes widened a bit when Ruby pulled away to look at her. "I'm not your mother. I'll never abandon you."

Yang grinned at her sister as her words were returned to her. She felt better after their talk; well really her talk, since she spent most of the time apologizing. She would let Ruby tell her what was going on in her own time, but she would try and insist again if it looked like things were getting worse.

Suddenly the sound of a phone ringing jarred them both. Ruby gasped theatrically and lunged for the phone. "I'm late for work!"

Yang grimaced as the brunette answered the phone and Oakmont's voice immediately could be heard through the receiver. She mouthed an apology as the small girl began to apologize as she hurried out the door. She watched her sister pull on her ever present hoodie, slip on her shoes and race out the door.

She noticed Blake on the couch, already up with a book perched on her knee. She grinned when she noticed that the faunus had been so engrossed in her book that she didn't appear to have noticed the flurry of activity that had just gone on around her. Feeling a bit playful she tip-toed over until she stood behind the dark haired girl. She was just about to shout when a couch pillow hit her in the face.

"Don't even think about it. My hearing is too sensitive to have you shouting right next to my ears."

Yang plopped the pillow down over Blake's book and hooked her legs on the top of the couch and fell back so she was sitting upside down on the cushions.

"You're no fun," she mock frowned, causing the dark haired girl's lips to twitch with a smile.

"Who ever said I was fun?"

"I did!" Yang cried, throwing her hands in the air. She pointed a finger at Blake, causing the other girl to blink. "So you better develop a sense of humor, or you'll make a liar out of me."

The faunus couldn't hold back a grin at that, and even chuckled softly at the big blondes theatrics. "You must have had a good talk with Ruby. I don't think I have ever seen you so light hearted."

Yang grinned back at the faunus. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Ruby about Blake yet, but she felt too good after their talk to really worry about anything right now. _Might as well just wing it. When in doubt, act confident._

"Speaking of Ruby, she told me last week she had breakfast at this great café in the business district. It is only fair that since she ate deliciousness without me that I now eat deliciousness without her! We should go get breakfast!" With that decree she flipped her feet over head and half rolled half back flipped off the couch. Striding to the bedroom to get dressed she missed the soft look the amber eyed girl aimed at her back.

* * *

Blake let herself be dragged along behind the tall blonde as they walked through the business district. Getting breakfast had sounded good when they were still in the apartment, but now that they were actually in the 'better' part of town she felt nervous. She was raised in the slums of cities, and had chosen to remain there so now casually strolling through uncharted waters made her wary. With the hand not tightly held by the taller girl she reached up to make sure her bow was still in place.

As they walked she distracted herself with trying to process all that she had overheard this morning. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop on the sisters conversation, but it was kind of hard not too when you were in a tiny apartment with extra sensitive hearing. From what she gathered both of the girls had been abandoned on the streets by their parents. It explained why they kept to themselves, and why they were so close. She had guessed that they had something in their past like that from her conversation with Melanie and Miltia, but to actually hear it hurt her in unexpected ways.

She didn't know when she had come to care about her temporary room-mates so much, but she did. Over this past week she had seen first-hand just how close the two girl were, and how they were both so unwittingly kind. Even with the barriers they kept up around others they were so caring. Yang was motherly in her own way, and Ruby was constantly doing little things that would probably have gone unnoticed by someone less observant. She had also realized that their caring attitude was also a barrier of sorts, but really only a barrier to anyone who wanted to get closer to them. They treated everyone equally, and no one got special treatment. The only thing that threw Blake off completely was how they treated her.

It had not gone unnoticed by the other fighters that she was staying with the sisters. Despite having a floor practically to themselves they did live in the same building as most of the other fighters. Apparently no one else has ever been invited into their apartment, and everyone was curious about how the dark haired girl managed to get in. She didn't have an answer because she wasn't even sure herself why the sisters treated her a bit differently. She blushed as she thought for a moment. _Not saying it isn't nice when a certain blonde opens up a little bit at a time._

She was so lost in thought she wasn't even aware that they had stopped moving until Yang waved a hand in front of her face.

"Helloooo, anybody home?" The taller girl sing-songed as she waved. The faunus blinked a few times in surprise and took in their surroundings. They were standing outside of a storefront with the words 'Café Adel' written in black, intricate text across the glass. The brick had been painted white, and wrought iron accented the large front windows. Blake's eyes widened. "This is where we're eating breakfast?"

"Yup," Yang grinned. "Ruby says they have heavenly pancakes here, and I can't wait to try some." Again pulling on her arm the big blonde dragged her inside the upper scale café.

The faunus sighed as some of the customers inside looked their way, and she ducked her shoulders just a bit to try and make herself less noticeable. She didn't like so many eyes on her when she didn't have the distraction of a fight to occupy her mind. The taller girl had no problem with being looked at, and didn't even appear to notice that she had drawn the attention of most of the patrons. She was too busy looking around and making little 'oooh' sounds as she took in the interior.

Blake began to shake her hand loose of the blonde's grip, but suddenly Yang latched on a little tighter and made a surprised sound in her throat. Following the line of the lilac eyes she saw two girls sitting at a table. One had her back to them, so the only thing she saw was her pure white hair. The other girl had dark hair under a beret and was wearing sunglasses even though she was inside and nowhere near the sun. She couldn't be sure, but she got the feeling that sunglasses girl was looking right at them.

The tall blonde immediately started to walk over to the table, and the faunus had no choice but to follow. Yang let go of her hand when they were a step away from the table. The girl in the beret was now definitely looking at them and had her eyebrows raised in surprise. The white haired girl was startled mid-sentence at her friends expression and started to turn around when Yang placed both hands on the table and leaned down to look the girl in the eyes.

"Hello Snow Queen," the blonde drawled. "It's **Weiss** to **schnee** you again." The girl in the beret snorted a laugh in surprise, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. You didn't need faunus hearing to make out the soft 'snow queen?' the girl mumbled. Blake could only stare at the startled girl at the table. She knew the second she saw the other girls face who she was. Almost no faunus, if any, couldn't recognize a Schnee. Possibly the wealthiest family in Remnant, most powerful manufacturer of Dust, notorious for shady business deals, and cruel to any and all faunus. _Why does Yang know a Schnee?_

"You!" The Schnee burst out, startling everyone close to the table. A blush formed on the pale skinned girls cheeks, and she cleared her throat. "I mean- hello Yang. What are you doing here? And don't call me Snow Queen."

The tall girl straightened and suddenly pulled the faunus- reluctantly- forward. "Blake and I were gonna get breakfast and I saw you sitting here. Ruby told me this place had fantastic pancakes so I had to come."

The dark haired girl at the table perked up a bit when Yang stopped speaking. "You know Ruby?" she asked, now appearing very curious about the tall blonde standing at the table.

Blake raised an eyebrow. _How does Ruby know these people? What is going on?_

Before Yang could answer a rabbit faunus appeared at the table and set what looked like cups of coffee in front of the girls at the table. They both murmured a soft 'thank you' before the waitress turned to look at the pair standing next to the table curiously. "You know Ruby?" she asked, both her long ears perking to stand upright.

The blonde brawler nudged Blake with her shoulder and gave her a little grin. "Awww Blake look, my little sis' is popular." She brushed an imaginary tear away from her eye.

Amber eyes narrowed as she looked at the blonde. Yang didn't act like this normally, and Blake didn't know what had made her put this particular act on. While living with the sisters she had seen that the two did like to joke around with each other and be silly sometimes, but Yang was never theatrical like this in front of others. Honestly the faunus only knew the sisters played around because she had above normal hearing, and could hear the girls through the thin walls of the apartment. _Something must have made her uncomfortable or upset, but what?_

"Coco, I didn't tell you about Ruby's sister?" The white haired girl turned to her friend. "She fixed my car- grudgingly- the night I met Ruby."

Blake watched as Yang chuckled softly and reached up to scratch the back of her head, much like Ruby did when she was nervous or embarrassed. "You can fix cars?" she asked surprised. She shrank back a bit as everyone turned to look at her, realizing it was the first time she had spoken since arriving.

The blonde looked at her slightly defensive position and seemed to notice the she was uncomfortable around the other girls. "Yeah, I'll tell you about it later." The brawler turned to the girls at the table. "Well we are going to find a table, sorry for interrupting. I just wasn't expecting to run into Ruby's new friend."

Blake started to sigh in relief. She wanted to put some distance between her and Weiss. She didn't like being around people in general, let alone being around a member of a family that had caused a lot of suffering for faunus kind.

Her sigh stuck in her throat when sunglasses- Coco- insisted that they join them at their table. The rabbit faunus was already moving to grab extra chairs for them, and the two girls were given no choice but to join them.

"Velvet could you grab them a menu to look at, please?" Coco asked the waitress. "I'll just have whatever Ruby had," Yang cut in. "I'll take the same," Blake said softly, and Velvet nodded and left to put their order in. She was now sitting right next to the Schnee heiress, and she couldn't help the tightening of nervousness in her stomach as she reached up to check if her bow was still in place. _Hopefully we can get out of here quickly. I don't want to spend any more time than necessary next to a Schnee._

* * *

Weiss made eye contact with Coco after the two girls sat down and gave their order. She was glad that her friend seemed to have the same idea that she did by inviting them to join them at their table. They were planning on trying to get more information out of Ruby's older sister, and now that Weiss was expecting to have her questions evaded she would notice if Yang was as good at evasion as her brown haired sibling.

Weiss had been talking to Coco about how to find out more about Ruby when the blonde girl had suddenly shown up. She couldn't believe how fortuitous this situation was at the moment. Having the black haired girl- she thinks her name was Blake- here as well might be helpful if she was close with the siblings. She appeared to be a lot more nervous than her blonde companion, and might let some information slip if she did indeed know anything. Her face was calm, but her hands were too fidgety and gave away her anxiety.

Today they were dressed much like they had been the night before, and looking closer appeared to be as worn and aged as Ruby's clothes were. They also had faint bruising and healing cuts all over their faces and arms. Remembering the bruising she had seen the night she first met Yang she hoped that the other girl was taking care of herself.

"So, Yang was it?" Coco's voice interrupted Weiss' thoughts. "It's surprising to hear that Ruby is your little sister. If you hadn't told me I would have never guessed."

"Yeah we get that a lot." A few beats passed, but no more information came after that. Coco kept her face impassive, and she was endeavoring to do the same.

"Is Ruby making her deliveries again this morning? I texted her this morning, but I never got a response." She asked in part because she was genuinely curious, but also so that it didn't seem like they were fishing for information.

"That's my fault," the blonde said with a laugh. "I held her up this morning and she was late for work. She probably got assigned extra deliveries as punishment and hasn't had time to text."

The dark haired girl frowned at that and gave the blonde a look. "Yang, it's not good to get Oakmont angry at Ruby. She seems to push his buttons enough as it is."

The two wealthy girls raised eyebrows at that comment. They remembered Oakmont from the phone call Ruby had received that day they had all had breakfast. Finding out from Velvet what the conversation entailed did not paint a favorable light on the young girl's boss.

Yang snorted at Blake's comment. "Oh please. He has no reason to be angry. She technically wasn't even late. She goes in earlier than anyone and Oakmont has gotten used to it and now expects her to work early every day."

"Why does she work so much?" Weiss blurted out quickly. This was more information than she had ever gotten out of Ruby, and she wanted to see if the blonde would be more forthcoming. "I mean, I know she works late and gets up early, but why does she go in earlier than needed?"

The blonde looked at her with a slight smirk on her face. "Ruby is really the only one who knows the answer to that. Guess you'll just have to ask her."

Weiss sighed internally. Apparently the blonde didn't subtly evade questions, she outright refused to answer. That smirk on the blonde's face clearly said 'I know, but I don't have to tell you', and it irritated her.

Velvet returned to the table with an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry you two, I never asked if you wanted anything to drink." Weiss used the interruption to gather her thoughts and calm down. Yang and Blake both opted to have just water and the rabbit faunus rushed off to get their drinks.

"So Ruby has told me a little bit about your job," she said evenly. Maybe a little white lie could get her more information. "I'm surprised you let Ruby work there given how dangerous it could be." She was taking a huge shot in the dark, but if her feelings were correct then she might just get something out of the blonde.

"Oh please," Yang said with a smirk. "Ruby hasn't told you anything about our jobs."

"So you're admitting that Ruby hasn't told Weiss the truth about her job?" Coco jumped in immediately.

The smirk fell from the blonde's face, and the dark haired girl was just looking between the three of them in wariness and confusion.

The now scowling blonde leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table while giving them a serious look.

"What Ruby and I do is none of your business. If you really want to be Ruby's friend then you are just going to have to wait until she wants to tell you these things herself. That's all I'm going to say in the subject."

Velvet returned with two glasses of water and her ears drooped down at the tense atmosphere at the table. "U-um Yang?" She cleared her throat when her voice squeaked a bit. "Whenever you see Ruby could you tell her 'thank you' for me?"

Everyone but Coco raised their eyebrows at the faunus and she blushed slightly under their stares. "S-she gave me some advice after she rescued me and I wanted her to know that everything went well like she said it would."

"She rescued you?" the blonde girl asked, and the faunus nodded. "She never tells me anything anymore." She said hanging her head in mock sadness. Blake smiled the tiniest bit before she schooled her features.

The amber eyed girl nudged the blonde the tiniest bit. "You can ask her about her heroics tonight at work. Should I call her 'My Hero' now? She did technically rescue me as well."

Weiss watched as the blonde developed the smallest blush at the dark haired girl's actions. Coco leaned forward to look at Yang.

"Tell her thanks for me as well. The advice she gave Velvet worked out really well for me as well."

The other three girls watched as Velvet's face broke out with a dark flush. "I think your pancakes are done," she squeaked before scurrying back to the kitchen.

Weiss gave her friend a look. _What was that about?_

Coco just shrugged at her look and smiled into her cup of coffee. Weiss mentally shrugged and decided to visit that another time. Velvet returned and dropped off two plates of strawberry drenched pancakes before hurrying away again.

Weiss and Coco shared an amused smile as both Yang and Blake took bites of their food and immediately closed their eyes in bliss. The blonde let out a pleased moan and the raven haired girl simply nodded silently in agreement.

"Ruby did the same thing when she ate here." Weiss actually chuckled as she remembered the younger girls face when she had taken her first bite of pancakes.

Almost to herself the blonde mumbled "she was right, these are fit for the gods," before digging back into her food.

The girls made hesitant small talk for a while, and the heiress could see hints of Ruby in Yang as they spoke. They shared certain speech patterns and inflections, and sometimes the blonde would wave her hand excitedly like she had seen Ruby do. It made her smile to see the similarities, and she remembered the fight she had witnessed last night and hoped that the siblings had worked everything out.

The two girls finished their pancakes and leaned back with delighted groans. "I think I'm ready to go home and take a nap." Again the raven haired girl simply nodded in agreement.

"If you'd like I could give you a ride home." Weiss was hoping to they'd say yes so that she could see where exactly it was that Ruby lived. Her hopes were dashed when the blonde immediately shook her head.

"Our neighborhood isn't safe to visit even during the day." Lilac eyes met clear blue. "That side of town isn't for people who can't defend themselves and your car alone paints a target on your face Snowflake."

Weiss wanted to be offended, but the serious look on the other girls face made her hesitate. "Don't call me snowflake," she said with a small scowl, but she nodded to acknowledge the blonde's words. The two girls left after insisting on paying for their food despite Coco telling them it was on the house. They left a big tip for Velvet, which instantly made them good people in Coco's book.

Over the past week it seemed to Weiss that Coco's opinion of Ruby had dramatically gotten better, and while she was glad for that she was also curious about what had happened. Before she left she made Velvet recount the story of Ruby rescuing her from Cardin and his lackeys. She had to shake her head. She just didn't understand how someone so small could fight people so much bigger than herself and win. She thought back to what Ruby and Yang had told her. Their neighborhood wasn't for people who couldn't defend themselves. Weiss knew how to fence, but unless she wanted to walk around with a rapier all the time she had to admit the skill wasn't very useful as a means of self-defense. _Luckily I might know the perfect person to help me with that._

* * *

It was now Monday afternoon and the final bell had just rung, much to Weiss' relief. The day had seemed to drag on and on, but now she was finally free to seek out the person who could teach her self-defense.

She made her way to the academy's gymnasium and immediately found who she was looking for. The girl was tall with long bright red hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was dressed in the school's gym uniform as she led Signal's girls boxing club through their warm up exercises. Pyrrha Nikos was already a champion fighter, having won several gold medals already in worldwide competitions. She was a school idol, and she was the sole reason the boxing club had nearly doubled in size since she started attending Signal.

Weiss had had a few classes with the champion, and she was one of the only people in school that Weiss actually spoke to with any familiarity. She could think of no better person to help teach her how to defend herself. If she could show Ruby that she could defend herself then the girl would have one less way to avoid her.

Stepping up to the tall red head he tapped on the girls shoulder. Pyrrha looked surprised to see Weiss standing there with a determined look in her eyes.

"I want you to teach me how to fight."

* * *

( A few days later)

Ruby excitedly ran down the sidewalk to Signal Academy. She had spoken to both Oakmont and Cinder about taking one day off a week. Her body couldn't keep up with the constant abuse, and she assured herself that one day off a week was reasonable. Cinder had agreed almost immediately; she had noticed Ruby's performance dropping and had no problem giving the girl one day to rest. Oakmont was harder to convince, at least until almost every fighter in the warehouse heard their argument and came to Ruby's defense.

She had been shocked by the support she was given, not expecting it at all, but she appreciated it all the same. Oakmont finally caved and agreed to give her off every Wednesday. It was always the slowest day of the week anyway, and she promised to help work the collections counter sometimes as well. It was a boring job, just counting the money coming in from the bets and calculating the winning payouts for all the fights.

Today was her first Wednesday off and she had slept in until almost 11 o'clock. Now it was closing in on one in the afternoon and she wanted to see Weiss. School didn't get out until two thirty, but that didn't matter to her right now. Coming up to the gates she stopped and looked up at the brick building that made up the main building. Signal Academy was a lot like a college campus in that there were several buildings that made up the entire school, but the main building was the oldest most notable building on the property.

She had heard that the main building was used mainly for administrative duties nowadays, but it had once been the only school in all of Vale. Silver eyes drank in the sturdy yet elegant architecture of the building. Way down deep in her heart she had always wanted to attend the prestigious school. To her attending this school meant that you had the potential to be somebody; that you were meant to be somebody. Growing up on the streets she had always been a nobody, and hearing about the school was a lot like hearing a fairy tale.

She shook her head to dispel the notion. Fairy tales weren't real, just like the dream that she could ever even belong in a place like Signal. Looking around the grounds she couldn't see anyone walking around so she decided she would just do some…exploring. _And if I happen to find Weiss while I am, then even better._

She dashed through the gates with a slightly mischievous grin.

* * *

Ozpin walked leisurely around the grounds of Signal Academy. Now the dean of Beacon University he liked to walk around his old school and take a look at the kids that hoped to one day join his institute. Now that the day was almost done he was content to just walk among the buildings and take in a rare peaceful moment.

Turning a corner he paused as he came across a peculiar sight. A small girl wearing a red hoodie and a pair of threadbare black jeans was crouching underneath a windowsill as it appeared she tried to catch the attention of someone inside. He smiled as the girl quickly ducked her head under the window, obviously catching the wrong persons attention and trying to hide. The girl still hadn't noticed him so leaning on his walking stick he decided to just stay where he was and watch the girl's antics.

It was clear that the girl was not a student, and also obvious that she wasn't supposed to be on campus. With her being crouched low and turned somewhat away from him he couldn't get a clear look at her face, but she appeared to be quite young. _Then again, the older I get the younger children look. Hard to believe I once had that kind of energy._

After a few moments the girl poked her up to peer into the window again. She must have avoided detection because she confidently lifted her head further and waved at someone inside. She appeared to be stifling giggles as she shook her head. She startled a bit when the school bell suddenly chimed, signaling the end of the day. She pointed to herself emphatically before ducking back under the window. Students would begin pouring out the front of the building and it seemed she was going to wait where she was for whomever to come get her.

His curiosity was getting the better of him and he began to walk closer to where she was crouching, but as he got with a few yards of her his old friend and current principal of Signal rounded the other corner of the building with a fierce scowl on her face.

"Young lady!" Glynda Goodwitch cried as she began to stomp over to the now startled girl. In almost the blink of an eye the girl stood and was running in the opposite direction of the stern faced disciplinarian. Unfortunately the opposite direction was directly at Ozpin and she crashed into him before she could stop.

He stumbled back a step at the force while the small girl fell to the ground completely. He chuckled and lifted a hand to his fierce friend. She slowed down her approach, but her scowl only lessened the smallest of fractions.

He leaned over and held out his hand to the downed girl. "You don't have to worry about her. She likes to take things way too seriously, but I think I can manage my old friend over there."

The girl looked up at his words, and as her eyes met his he felt as if he had transported back in time then was thrust back to the present in a split second. He jolted when she placed her hand in his, and he just stood there for a moment before finally helping the girl to her feet. "You have silver eyes," he said still somewhat in a daze, but quickly regaining himself. He still had a hold of her small hand and she fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"U-um," she murmured as her silver eyes shifted away from him and back. Just then Glynda came up to them and she opened her mouth ready to berate the young trespasser. Before she could a sound out a voice suddenly called out from behind them.

"RUBY!"

The girl jumped and jerked her hand away as all three of them turned to look at an obviously angry white haired girl striding towards them; not unlike how Glynda had done just moments before. Ozpin was stuck on what the angry girl had said. _Ruby…it couldn't be._

He turned to look at her face once more, and noticed the series of bruising across her face and around one of her eyes. _But that eye color, and underneath the bruises she looks just like…_

He let the thought fade awayas the other girl reached them and latched onto Ruby's arm, forcing the other girl to her side.

"Ms. Schnee, you know this girl?" Glynda asked the girl with surprise.

"Yes Ms. Goodwitch. We had plans to meet after school, and it appears she was too impatient to wait for me **outside**." The last was said with a glare at the silver eyed girl, and Ruby cringed slightly under the stare.

"I'm sorry! It won't happen again." The young girl bowed her head contritely.

"See that it doesn't." Glynda said with a frown. She took in the state of the small girls' clothing and raised an eyebrow. She was probably wondering how such a girl had befriended a Schnee.

"Now Glynda," Ozpin said turning towards his old friend. "Don't be too hard on the girl. She did wait until classes were almost over before finding Ms. Schnee. It's not like she disrupted anything."

Glynda raised an exasperated eyebrow at him and sighed. She nodded slightly and motioned for the two girls to be on their way. As they turned away Ozpin caught the white haired girl whispering "You are such a dunce," to the smaller girl, who only smiled sheepishly at her friend. The girls had only gotten a few steps away before he decided to take a gamble and call out to the girl.

"If I could have just a moment of your time… Ms. Rose." He called. The red clad girl went completely still before turning to him slowly with widened eyes. He smiled, her reaction confirming his suspicions, but then he frowned in surprise as her face suddenly went expressionless and her eyes hardened to steel.

"How do you know my last name?" She demanded. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides as her whole body tensed. The blue eyed girl seemed surprised at the girls sudden transformation from regular teenager to tense combatant. "Ruby?"

Ozpin looked into the girls eyes and felt saddened. _These are not the eyes of a child. No, these are the eyes of someone who has lived through far too much, far too soon._

"I would like to speak to you Ms. Rose," he said gently. He took out a card and held it out to her. "Whenever you have time I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have for me, if you would be willing to answer a few of mine as well."

She looked at the card with a closed expression. "No," she said firmly before she turned away and stalked off quickly. Before he could give chase the white haired girl snatched the card from him. Startled he turned to girl to find her staring at him consideringly.

"I'll hold onto this for her. If she changes her mind I'll give it to her."

Deciding to cut his losses for today he nodded and she rushed after her friend. He stared after the pair deep in thought.

"What was that about Oz?" Glynda was now looking at him in concern. Very rarely had she ever seen Ozpin looking so concerned about something.

He looked at his friend for a few moments before he sighed. Rather than give her an answer he posed his own question.

"What do you do when you look into the face of a child, but the eyes staring back at you belong to an adult?"


	9. Chapter 9

**I am so sorry you guys! I know you all probably got a chapter update notification earlier, but there was no new chapter. This is entirely my fault. I had gotten some comments about missing words in my previous chapter, but I found in very strange because I was being told of problems I know I checked before posting the chapter. I compared the file in doc manager to my word document, and there were several differences between the two. For some reason FF has been getting rid of words in each of my chapters when I upload them.**

 **While trying to fix the problem, my dumb ass accidentally deleted chapter 8. I had to post it again, and I knew I would be uploading my new chapter tonight so I didn't put an update note on it to warn that it was a duplicate chapter. I will continue my A/N at the bottom of the page. For now, Onto the shout outs** **! There's a lot this time around!**

 **Jay knight 6739: Thank you for the review, and thank you for reading this story! I am very glad that you are enjoying it.**

 **Spartan Brony: I'm sorry that identification is getting a little confusing. I try to use hair color when there is a small group of characters whose hair color is a major defining feature, but I understand that it is not always easy. I am trying to get better at making sure the reader knows who exactly is who.**

 **Hellwyrm: Thank you for your continued reviewership lol. I'm sorry that ch.7 felt short to you. It's actually really funny because I think the shortest chapter is ch. 2. CH.9 is now the longest chapter I have written so far, so I hope this makes up for it a bit. Weiss finds out a lot this chapter, but some things stay hidden for now.**

 **Fennec9: Hello again! Thank you for your review! Honestly I'm not too sure how he would react. He's a b***ard though, so he probably won't care too much.**

 **RedtheWolf2: Hellooo! I'm glad that you are ok with the drawn out romance. I've never actually gotten so far into a story to develop a romance, so this is a first for me. I hope there are not too many mistakes this chapter. After I discovered that some words were dissapearing during upload I made sure to re-read it before posting it.**

 **Ellight1: Hello there! I am sorry about the confusion with the story update. Hopefully I cleared that up. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Hopefully the quality of this chapter is at least close to the previous in your eyes. In this chapter I feel like I pushed the plot a little hard to further the story. I'm still working on story progression, and I felt like I was dragging my feet with certain things. Hope you enjoy the update.**

 **GrnDrgnzrd: I do like keeping the readers on their toes, thank you very much. It makes me glad that you feel that way because it means my writing is good enough to invoke some emotion in the audience. Thank you for your review, and I look forward to seeing you next time.**

 **naruhinafan11: Dear, dear naruhinafan11. I think I look forward to your reviews the most lol. Always so enthusiastic, I love the energy. Thank you for being with the story since the beginning, and I hope you stay with it as we move forward.**

 **UltimateRwbyShipper: Thank you for your review! I am too stubborn to give up lol, so that won't happen. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Aidis: Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!**

 **RandomWriterPerson: WOW, just wow! Never have I read such a delightful review. I don't even know what to say, other than I love it, and I love your energy. Are you in theater? If not then you should be. I have been partial to the badass Ruby character myself, hence the badass Ruby haha. I am very glad to hear that the very small glimmer that is my talent has been enough to provide you with some enjoyment. I shall endeavor to continue the story in a way that will hopefully satisfy my readers. I hope to see you again.**

 **iamking: Good review lol. In all seriousness, thank you for the review.**

 **BerserkBookWorm: Thank you for the awesome review! Oh, Weiss snoops, Weiss snoops hard lol. A lot is revealed this chapter, but some things stayed hidded. There is still plenty left to discover. Hope you enjoy the update.**

 **Heavenlyenigma: Thank you! I am very glad that you are enjoying the story.**

 **ThoughtfulWings:Thank you for the review! Seriously because of you I discovered that for some reason my documents are not uploading completely, causing words to dissapear and such. Also not sure it I want Weiss to seduce Ruby or if I want Ruby to seduce Weiss lol. Either will be good haha.**

 **To- charbchillin, and TheLatiKing: Sorry about the false update notification. Again, I'm stupid and accidentally deleted the chapter and had to re post it. I'm sorry!**

 **swippee: Thank you for the review! I'm glad the story turned out better than the synopsis. I'm glad that I seem to be improving, hopefully the trend holds up. Hope you enjoy the update.**

Onto the story!

* * *

Weiss stared down at the card sitting on her desk. Three weeks had passed since she had taken the card from Professor Ozpin. Ruby had refused the card, and refused to talk about what happened between the two. The heiress had debated over and over again with herself to call Ozpin herself and see if she could find out more about Ruby. He had known her, somehow, and that had upset Ruby. She now had off every Wednesday and would wait down the street from the school for Weiss to walk to her rather than wait at the gates. The younger girl almost seemed afraid to go near the school again.

Weiss couldn't understand it, and Ruby didn't talk about it. They met every week, texted constantly, and yet she felt like she still knew nothing about the other girl. The younger girl still showed with bruises sometimes that she wouldn't explain, and lately her eyes haven't been as lively. Even from the brief time she had known the other girl Weiss could tell that there was something wrong. She wouldn't lie and say that it didn't kind of hurt that Ruby wouldn't tell her anything.

She had tried sharing some stories about her own childhood to try and get Ruby to open up, but that hadn't really worked. Ruby would share stories about her and Yang playing together as kids and getting into trouble, but Weiss could tell that the stories were heavily edited to not give away too much information. Sometimes she would rather just not be told anything than be given only half a story.

That's why she was seriously contemplating calling the number on the card and demand some answers. Ozpin obviously knew something about Ruby, and the curiosity was killing her. The dean to the most prestigious college in all of Remnant knew Ruby; the same girl that Weiss only knew as someone who lived in the dangerous part of town. _What does Ozpin know?_

She sighed and let her head hit the desk top. She never acted like this. Usually she was always so sure of whatever she was doing, but since meeting the small brunette she had become uncertain about a lot of things. It was even starting to affect her studies, which was unacceptable. She was the best in every subject, she was the hardest worker, and she was **Weiss Schnee** for crying out loud. Yet here she was, constantly doing things she had never done before. She was even taking fighting lessons just in the hopes that she could get closer to the younger girl!

She groaned as she thought of her lessons. Three times a week she stayed after school to train with Pyrrha. The redhead was initially shocked that Weiss had asked to be taught, and had tried to tell her that boxing was probably not a good fit given the heiress' small build and lack of muscle tone. After some slight pleading on her part Pyrrha finally agreed to teach her the basics.

"I can teach you the basics on how to throw a proper punch," she had said. "We can go through proper stances and do some light sparring when you know a little bit more." Weiss had been ecstatic that she had gotten her way, but three weeks in she was tired. Her muscles were always sore now, and she still felt like she had made no progress. The champion fighter was usually a very sweet and caring person, but when it came to training the redhead was a strict taskmaster. Weiss could appreciate the girl's dedication to her sport, but the heiress' body resented it immensely.

Ruby was only fifteen and yet she already appeared to be a great fighter, and now that Weiss was doing her own training she could only imagine how hard the younger girl had worked to be so good; or so muscular. Red painted her cheeks as she remembered the brief glimpses she had gotten at Ruby's toned muscles. _Why?! Why do I react like this when I think of her body?_

She jerked up in her chair and slammed her hands against her now brilliantly flaming face. _No! I meant her muscles! Not body! I didn't- I don't…_

Several moments - and one head slam on the desk- later, she forced her thoughts back into a semblance of order. Now calm she opened up her laptop and attempted to do her homework. Luckily she usually worked ahead of the class so any work she hadn't done these past few days didn't really set her behind.

She finished her work and saw that it was only five o'clock. Her thoughts returned to Ruby and just out of curiosity she opened up a new web browser and typed in the other girl's name. She didn't really expect anything to pop up, it was purely just a whim that she even thought to do it. The last thing she expected to show up on the screen was a picture of small child with big silver eyes and the word **MISSING** printed above it.

Shocked she simply stared at the picture. No matter how she looked at it that was definitely a picture of Ruby. The child's hair was darker and had streaks of red on the ends, but that was definitely Ruby's face. She quickly clicked on the link attached and was led to an old news report. Her heart pounding in her chest she scanned the article with wide eyes.

 _ **Child of Famous Sports Hero Goes Missing.**_

Child of Remnant famous elite track runner Summer Rose disappears after a reported attempted mugging last Saturday evening. Five-year-old Ruby Rose (pictured below) was with her father Taiyang Xiao Long when three men came out of an alley and attacked him.

Ruby Rose was last seen on North Twenty-First street wearing a red sweater and jeans. She has Silver eyes, black hair with red highlights, and weighs approximately forty pounds.

Police are holding Xaio Long for questioning, but no charges have been filed at this time. This is the second child that Xaio Long has had go missing, and authorities say they are simply trying to find if these two incidents are related.

Authorities are still looking into the matter and not much else is known at this time. Vale police are encouraging people to keep a look out for the child and to call the number provided below if they have any information.

The article continued, but Weiss was unable to find any more information on the incident. She clicked on link after link and was only able to find out that it was suspected the attack had something to do with Taiyang Xiao Long's police work, and that Detective Qrow Branwen was now leading the case.

Next she typed in the name 'Summer Rose' and found hundreds of articles detailing her sports career leading up to the moment her daughter went missing. Blue eyes widened when she found out that Summer Rose had attended Signal Academy on a track scholarship, and later attended Beacon University where she broke the world record for the 5000m, and the 10,000m events. The records stand to this day, and she represented Vale in the Remnant Kingdoms Grand Tournament. She earned four gold medals her first tournament, and was only nineteen years old.

When Weiss found a picture of Summer she was stunned. She was looking at a slightly older version of Ruby. Summer had the same silver eyes that Ruby did. The heiress was stunned by all that she had discovered, and despite all this new information she only had more questions. All the reports had claimed that Ruby had never been found, but she was right here in Vale.

Slowly her brain processed everything she had just learned. Maybe Ruby didn't remember her parents; she had only been five when she went missing. How did Yang fit in? They claimed to be sisters, but that clearly wasn't true. Why did Ruby still use the last name Rose? If she had been kidnapped then they would have changed her name to hide her identity.

Her mind swirled as she tried to piece everything together. In the end she just didn't have enough information to figure everything out. She clicked back to an article and found the name of the detective who had been in charge of the case.

She looked up the number of the police department and called. She was informed that Qrow Branwen had left the force about seven years ago, and they had no further information on him. She did some more digging on the internet and found the website for a Private Investigators office founded by one Mr. Branwen. _Gotcha._

Not caring that it was now closing in on 10 o'clock and it was unlikely that anyone would be in the office she called the number on the site.

After eight rings she was about to hang up the phone when she heard a mumbled '-ullo?' over the line.

"Yes! Yes, hello. I'm looking for Qrow Branwen." She heard a groan over the line.

"Not so loud," came a raspy reply. "This is Branwen."

Her heart sped up. "Are you the detective who led the investigation for Ruby Rose ten years ago?" The line was silent for a few moments.

"I did," was the soft reply. Before she could ask anything else the man on the phone continued. "That case has been closed for years. Why are you asking about it?"

"Why was the case closed?" She frowned as a heavy sigh sounded through the phone.

"Technically it went cold. The police couldn't keep looking into it after so long so they closed it when no new evidence turned up. Now again, why are you asking?"

"Do you know where Ruby's parents are?" She needed to know what had happened.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but don't go bothering them about this." His voice sounded angry. "I don't know if you're a reporter or what, but they lost their daughter, and after ten years of searching they have had to accept that their child might never be found. You damn buzzards fly around and poke at open wounds, not caring that it hurts. Don't call back."

A firm click sounded in her ear and she looked at her phone in shock. No one had ever hung up on her before. Her cheeks puffed out on a sigh. That hadn't gotten her anywhere. She tapped her fingers against the desk as she thought about what to do next. She saw the edge of a card peeking out from under her computer and she lunged for it. _I forgot! Professor Ozpin! He knows something._

She almost dialed the number when she remembered how late it was. Tomorrow was Wednesday and she would be seeing Ruby after school. She wasn't sure how she was going to handle this situation, but she would figure something out. Changing into her night dress she climbed into bed and closed her eyes. Tomorrow was certainly going to be an interesting day.

* * *

Ruby leaned against the rough brick that made the wall surrounding Signal Academy. She sighed as she ran her hands through her now short cropped hair. Yesterday a girl named Lavender had pulled a knife in the middle of the fight while Ruby wasn't looking. Had her reflexes not been so good she would have had a large gash running across her face. However, her hair had not escaped the blades edge. Instead of her cheek the knife slid across her hair, cutting off a large chunk about two and a half inches from her scalp. Before going to the warehouse she had to even out the rest of her hair otherwise she would have to answer a few uncomfortable questions from Yang. She now sported a very shaggy pixie cut.

Luckily she never had gotten around to dyeing her roots brown again, so now her hair was an inky black with red hints showing through. She had only started dyeing her hair at Oakmont's insistence. Her and Yang used to work at the chop shop, and Ruby's specialty was electronics. Oakmont would send her out to steal car radios, or anything else really from cars stupid enough to park too far from the main streets. He said her natural hair color was far too noticeable and recognizable, so he had it dyed a dull brown to make her less conspicuous. Then she became a runner and being able to blend continued to be a good asset, so she never went back to her natural color.

It felt strange to have her hair color back, but she was also pleased with it as well. She didn't like it quite so short, but her hair grew quickly and she wouldn't have to wait long until it was an acceptable length again. Everyone had been shocked when she showed up for work last night, and Yang hadn't asked any questions. She just shouted 'You're sooo cuuute!' before ruffling her short locks with both hands and picking her up in a tight bear hug.

Ruby grimaced as she remembered the tight squeeze to her ribs. They were still sore, and the bruising on her torso was still tender so the hug had hurt more than usual. Luckily her sister hadn't noted her discomfort, but Blake definitely had. The faunus had earned enough to purchase some basic furnishings for her own apartment and had moved out last week. They all still walked home together, and more often than not continued to eat together when they could. She could tell that the black haired girl had wanted to ask what was wrong, but had not approached her about it yet. Ruby could only hope she never did, and if it did happen then she would do it away from Yang so she wouldn't overhear.

She heard the bell ring and grinned as she thought of seeing Weiss. Some part of her was telling her that she shouldn't be so happy to see the white haired girl after only knowing her for a few weeks, but she tuned it out. Being around the older girl was nice, and she liked hearing Weiss talk about her day. The rich girl could be a bit harsh, and sometimes she could be a little arrogant, but Ruby enjoyed every minute of it.

Students began filing past her and she moved a little closer to the wall to avoid being bumped into by anyone. She studied some of the students walking past her, taking in their happy expressions and cheerful chatter. She caught a glimpse through the crowd of Coco and Velvet walking side by side down the street and she smiled. She remembered what Yang had told her the two of them had said and she was pleased that everything appeared to be going well for the wealthy fashionista and the timid faunus. It felt good knowing that she had given them a little push closer together.

She was so absorbed in her people watching that she didn't notice her blue eyed friend until she was staring right into them. Weiss had moved right in front of her and was staring at her in shock.

"What did you do to your hair?!" Ruby flinched a little at her shrill tone.

"I uh, got it cut?" It was silent for a few seconds.

"You dyed it?"

"T-this is actually my natural color." Weiss' eye looked like it twitched at that confession. She suddenly looked very angry as she narrowed those clear blue eyes.

"I swear Ruby, do I know anything about you that isn't a lie?"

"What?!" That was probably the last thing Ruby had expected. "I don't…lie to you." She winced as she heard the hesitation in her own voice.

"You don't tell the truth either. You don't tell me anything. Almost two months and I still know nothing about you! Anytime I ask you anything you brush me off, or give me some vague ambiguous answer."

Ruby couldn't really deny that. She tried to think of something to say, but she knew the other girl was telling the truth.

"What are you supposed to know about me after only two months?" Her eyes widened along with Weiss'. _That sounded better in my head!_

"Oh I don't know. Maybe things like your natural hair color, or where you live, when your birthday is, where you work, what your parents do for a living. You know, simple things that anyone should know about someone else if they want to be friends!" Her voice had been rising steadily, and Ruby could see some of the other students looking at them in curiosity. She cringed at the attention.

"Weiss, can we go somewhere else to talk?" The heiress pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You know what Ruby, no. I'm tired of trying to figure you out and getting nowhere. I don't even know why I care so much, but I am tired of you keeping things from me that are no big deal."

Ruby felt herself get a little angry. _No big deal?_

"Maybe they are a bid deal!" Her voice was louder than she had intended, and Weiss' eyes widened at her outburst. "You don't get to decide if something matters or not! You don't know how I feel!"

"You won't tell me how you feel! That's the point!" Suddenly Weiss pointed a finger right in her face. "I can only be your friend if you let me. If you won't let me in then maybe this should just stop!"

* * *

Weiss quickly turned and walked back towards the school gates. She needed to calm down, and looking at Ruby wasn't helping anything right now. She felt bad about yelling at the girl, but she couldn't seem to stop the words from coming out, and she felt horrible about it. _Why did I do that? Especially after everything I might have learned last night! She looks even more like that missing child picture now!_

She had been thinking about Ruby all day, and her teachers had all commented about how her concentration had seemed to be going down lately. She had felt like a wire was being tightened around her all day, and then she had seen the silver eyed girl with her short, inky black hair, and the wire had frayed. Then when the younger girl had asked what exactly she was supposed to know about her, the wire had snapped. Weeks of worrying about someone who wouldn't let her get close, and then mental stress about school combined with her physical stress from training with Pyrrha had all come crashing down on her. She knew that Ruby might have a very good reason for not telling her things, but she was still a little hurt that after almost two months Ruby still didn't trust her enough to tell her **anything.**

Maybe that was another reason she was so stressed over Ruby. Weiss knew her feelings for the girl were growing into something she didn't even know. It was all too much. She had never thought about someone as often as she did Ruby, and she didn't know what to do about it. If she didn't even know what she was feeling how was she supposed to react to it?

She had just taken a few steps back onto the school grounds towards the library when she felt a hand close around her shoulder. Startle she turned around and saw Ruby with that damned neutral mask she wore sometimes that Weiss couldn't see through. Before she could say anything the younger released her and stepped back.

"Did you mean it?" Weiss blinked at how soft the words were spoken. Looking closer she could see that it was only Ruby's face that was neutral, but her hands were clenched at her sides and were shaking slightly.

When she didn't answer right away the younger girl took another step back. "Did you mean it? You don't want to be friends anymore?"

Her eyes widened. She hadn't meant to imply that at all, but she could see how her words could be taken that way. "I want to be your friend. I just don't think you want to be friends." She held up her hand when the other girl began to speak.

"Friends are people you rely on, who you care about. Friends are supposed to be people you confide in, who you share yourself with. Friends accept each other no matter what. I don't feel that you want to do any of that." Weiss was a little shocked at her own words. Until she had said them she didn't realize that that was how she felt. Coco had been her friend since they were children, and their relationship had simply grown with them with no need to examine what exactly it meant to be friends. They simply were, and would always be friends. Ruby was much more complicated.

The younger girl was looking down at the ground with her hands still clenched at her sides. The heiress let the silence drag on, and after what felt like an eternity in the heavy silence the younger girl looked back at her.

"What do you want to know?" She seriously considered the question, and the still carefully blank look on Ruby's face.

"Do you actually want to tell me anything, or are you only asking that because you feel like you have to?"

Silver eyes again looked at the ground. "I want to tell you. I-I still have some things I don't want to talk about, but I think I can try and explain why."

After that the pair of girls walked slowly to the library where Weiss led them to her secluded corner. Since there were no other tables near that section of the library it was highly unlikely that they would be overheard. They sat down and spent several moments in silence. Ruby was simply waiting as she stared at the table top.

"Ok Ruby, let's start off easy. What's your favorite color?" Calm blue eyes met incredulous silver ones; seeming to ask if the question was serious. "Red."

"Favorite food?"

"Strawberries."

The questioning went on like this for a few minutes. Weiss was trying to get the younger girl to become comfortable with answering questions, as well as she was genuinely curious about the other girls likes and dislikes. She didn't try and dig into anything deeper until she saw that Ruby's shoulders were no longer so tense.

"When is your birthday?" She remembered that this was a question that Ruby had avoided that first morning at the café. She watched as those big silver eyes again locked onto the table.

"I don't know." It was barely more than a whisper, but Weiss heard it perfectly in the silent library. Before she could respond to that, Ruby looked at her with a closed expression. "I always just bump my age up a year sometime in April."

"Why doesn't Yang know your birthday?"

"S-she's not really my sister. We met each other when I was five and she was seven. We've been together ever since."

"Is your last name really Rose?"

"I'm pretty sure it is. Yang's last name is Xiao Long."

"Where is- wait. Xiao Long? Yang's last name is Xiao Long?"

Weiss' mind was reeling. Every answer both saddened and excited her. It saddened her to think that all of her theories about Ruby looked to be right, but it also excited her that she might be able to help her too. Then she recognized Yang's last name, and her mind stuttered to a halt.

"U-um Weiss?" Ruby's hesitant voice broke through. Weiss whipped her head back around, blue eyes looking fierce and determined.

"Does the name Taiyang mean anything to you?" Ruby just sat back with a confused expression as she shook her head. "What about the name Summer?" Again all she received was a shake of the head.

Weiss could see that Ruby truly didn't recognize the names. Her eyes were confused, but that was it.

"Ruby, you said that you have been with Yang since you were five. Were you with her family? Or yours?"

The younger girls eyes seemed to harden just the tiniest bit. "Yang and I are each other's family. We don't need anybody else."

Weiss was a bit shocked at Ruby's tone. She seemed so emphatic, and just a bit angry.

"What do you mean you don't need anybody else? What about her parents?" She hesitated a second. "What about your parents?"

Right before her eyes she watched Ruby look angrier than she had ever seen anybody. There was a ferocity in her eyes that she had never seen. The other girls' teeth were gritted and her face was practically a snarl.

"They left." The words were short, clipped, and hard. "What do you mean?" She was almost afraid to ask.

Ruby turned her face away angrily and took a few deep breaths. After a few moments she turned back, looking slightly calmer. Slightly.

"Yang and I met on the streets. Yang had been on her own for months when I met her." Ruby's face slowly closed over as she slipped on her neutral, business like mask. "Blood means nothing. Yang and I more family to each other than any blood relative ever could be. They got rid of us, so forget them."

Weiss felt an ache in her chest at Ruby's words. While the younger girl thought that she was masking her emotions Weiss could hear the pain underneath. She was also confused. Ruby claims that her parents just left her, but Weiss knew that they had been searching for her for years. _Or maybe they only made it look like they were searching? She has been in the same town the entire time; it does seem pretty unlikely that they couldn't find her. I don't know what to think anymore._

"What do you mean they got rid of you?" It sounded so ugly when said aloud. Weiss knew what it was like to have a parent that didn't really love you, but she had never been abandoned. She had lived a comfortable, albeit cold, life; what would it have been like if she hadn't even had a home?

Ruby was tense again, her body practically vibrating with it. Finally she sighed and spoke without meeting Weiss' eyes.

"From what Yang remembers she traveled with her mother all over the place. One day she told Yang she was going to bring her back to her father, but ended up just leaving her under some overpass and never coming back." Weiss clenched her fists. This entire conversation had been emotionally taxing, but she had been doing her best to tamp down her emotions so that she could objectively listen to Ruby's answers. However some things were just too ugly to hear. Her heart clenched at what she had learned about the blonde oaf that Ruby called a sister.

"I remember my f-fathers voice telling me not to move. I don't remember much, but I remember being shoved behind a dumpster and being told not to move until he came back." Ruby's fists clenched tightly in her lap, and the snarl was back on her face.

"I didn't move for almost three days. Three days! Wedged behind a filthy dumpster; too afraid to move. I was so stupid! He wasn't coming back, and it took someone else pointing it out to me to realize." A bitter laugh escaped Ruby's lips, and Weiss felt a lump form in her throat. That awful sound shouldn't come from a child; much less one as kind as the small girl in front of her. She hadn't expected the other girl to reveal so much information, but now that she had started talking it seemed like she couldn't stop. Weiss reached out and took one of Ruby's hands in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Luckily I wasn't the only kid on the streets and the other kids helped me out, taught me where it was safe to go, who to avoid. Stuff like that. A few weeks after that I met Yang. She was just sitting in this alleyway, and there was something about her that just drew me in. I offered her some food I had just salvaged from a nearby trash bin, and we have been together ever since. We adopted each other, and have looked out for one another since day one."

Silence settled around the two girls. Weiss was simply trying to process everything that the silver eyed girl had said. She looked down and saw that Ruby was now holding onto her hand. Something in her chest warmed at the sight and she gripped the younger girls hand a little tighter. There were still a few questions she had, and she wanted to make sure the younger girl knew she wasn't going anywhere.

"Where have you been staying this whole time, Ruby? How do you have a job, and what about school?"

At the mention school Ruby actually flinched and tried to pull her hand away. Blue eyes narrowing in determination she gripped onto the retreating hand even tighter. "Ruby?"

"I've never gone to school!" Silver eyes flashing angrily, Ruby half glared at her. "I **am** a delivery girl, but not for your standard 'packages'. It's not exactly on the right side of the law, but money is money and Yang and I work our asses off to get by. I am not ashamed of my life, or of what I do!"

She looked into defiant silver eyes, and all she saw was girl trying so hard to believe her own words. Weiss got the feeling that Ruby **was** ashamed of her life; why else was talking about it so difficult for her? Suddenly the hand in her grasp jerked away and the silver eyed girl rose to her feet muttering 'I'm done' as she rose.

She tried to call out to get Ruby to wait, but was succinctly ignored. Making a quick decision she dashed after the girl and threw her arms around her before she could turn the corner past the first shelves of books. The body in her arms tensed, but she refused to let go. Heart aching for the girl in her arms she pressed her face against Ruby's shoulder. She wouldn't press for any more information, and now she was unsure how to approach the issue of Ruby being classified as a missing child. All she could do was hold on, and try and convince Ruby that she wasn't going anywhere.

"Weiss let me go." Instead of replying she silently shook her head against the girls shoulder. They stayed like until the tension slowly eased out the younger girls muscles as she leaned back a bit to sink into the hug.

Weiss relished the contact between them. She couldn't remember a time she had felt so comfortable just to be around someone, let alone be this close to someone.

She picked up her head a bit and saw a fading bruise against the girl's pale skin and she frowned.

"I'm not going to make you tell me anything you don't want to, but I need to ask you something. Sometimes you have bruises, and I just want to make sure you're ok. You're not doing anything dangerous, right Ruby?" She tried to keep her voice as gentle as possible. Ruby just sighed and hung her head a bit.

"I live in a dangerous neighborhood Weiss. Why do you think I get so mad when you try and come to my side of town? At least I know how to protect myself."

"I can protect myself!" Ruby looked at her dubiously over her shoulder. "I'll have you know I have been taking fighting lessons three times a week with the current Remnant's Youth Boxing Champion!" She said the last part smugly. She didn't mention that those lessons had only started less than a month ago.

Ruby scoffed. "Boxing is so not for you." Weiss frowned. "Pyrrha said that too! Why is it so hard to believe?"

Ruby disengaged from the loose embrace and turned to face her. "First off, you're too small for it. You have a petite frame, and you always will. Boxers have larger frames, a more sturdy build, and a long reach. They rely on devastating punches that are swift, accurate, and powerful. I'm not saying that you could never have a powerful punch, just that you would never have a powerful **enough** punch to be an effective boxer."

"That's what Pyrrha said," Weiss said while shaking her head. "She has been teaching me the basics, and says that I need to build up some muscle." Ruby just nodded at that.

"Why are you taking fighting lessons?"

Weiss really wanted to say anything but the truth, but the other girl had revealed so much of herself today that she felt that it wouldn't be fair.

"You and Yang keep saying that I can't go to your neighborhood because I can't defend myself. I thought that if I learned self-defense I could see you more." She forced herself not to blush at the admission.

Ruby was looking at her with wide eyes, but then a giggle escaped her mouth that she quickly tried to stifle. The younger girls efforts were in vain however, as more chuckles erupted from her. Weiss did her best to not be offended, but she wouldn't deny that she was a bit affronted. She tapped her foot against the ground as she crossed her arms.

"What is so funny?" She was proud of the slightest hint of ice in her question.

Silver eyes still looking at her amusement Ruby just shook her head. "N-nothing, that was just too cute. I wasn't expecting that at all." Weiss blushed slightly, and was about to berate the girl for laughing at her when Ruby tilted her head back and let out a big sigh.

She startled when the smaller girl suddenly took a step closer and wrapped her in another embrace. She felt those surprisingly strong arms squeeze around her and she couldn't help but to hug the girl back.

"Y'know, you're the only person besides Yang I have ever hugged and felt this comfortable with it. I didn't think I would like it, but there is something cozy about you."

The blush fully moved onto her pale cheeks now at Ruby's words. She tightened her hands on the other girl's back.

"I-I feel the same way," she whispered, almost afraid to say it any louder. They stayed like that for a few moments more before they broke apart, both of them now sporting small blushes.

Weiss was the first to speak into the comfortable silence. "Do you want to meet Pyrrha and see who I've been learning from?"

Ruby followed Weiss into the gymnasium and gazed in somewhat awe of all the different equipment found inside. There was a full sized boxing ring for dusts sake! Inside the ring were two girls slowly circling one another, one wearing blue sparring gear while the other wore red. The smaller of the two dashed forward and tried to rush through the taller figure's defense. Quickly back stepping to avoid the hit the tall girl suddenly punched out, finding an opening in the other girls defense that was so small it should have been near impossible to get through. The hit landed solidly and the girl in blue lost her footing and fell.

The match was apparently over, much to Ruby's disappointment, as the girl in red took off her sparring helmet and let long, deep red hair cascade down her back. She helped the other girl to her feet and turned to a group of girls huddled around the ring.

"Can anyone tell me what Cinnamon did wrong during that match?" Her voice was clear as she addressed the others. No one spoke up as they all seemed to glance at each other sheepishly.

Ruby couldn't help herself. She nudged the white haired beauty beside her and lifted her hand in the air. "Oh, oh! I know, I know!"

Weiss looked at her in shock and tried to pull her hand out of the air. The red head in the ring looked over at them in surprise, just now noticing them standing there.

"Weiss? What are you doing here today? Who's your friend?" She had a gentle smile on her face as she regarded them with bright green eyes. Weiss groaned as she stepped forward just a bit.

"Sorry to interrupt Pyrrha. My friend Ruby wanted to see who has been giving me fighting lesons, and I forgot to tell her that it's rude to interrupt club activities." The last was said with a slight glare, but Ruby just grinned back at her. She felt so playful right now she didn't know how to handle it.

She never would have thought that after telling the blue eyed girl her past she would feel this way. She had felt so heavy before, but now her limbs felt lighter than ever before. Weiss didn't look at her any differently, and she had stayed. Ruby could only describe the sensation as overwhelming relief.

"I still know the answer," she said cheekily, earning a laugh from Pyrrha. "Well?"

She stepped forward and threw another grin at Weiss. "She trusted in her defense too much that she didn't consider that rushing forward would leave her open. Her feet were too close together, so she wasn't centered correctly which made her easier to knock over. Especially since her knees weren't bent. Then when she threw her punch she switched from an orthodox stance to a southpaw, making her throw clumsy and weak. You should really only do that if you are an experienced switch-hitter."

Everyone in the gym was silent for a few moments after her break down of the blue clad girls match.

"Southpaw?" It was Weiss, blue eyes looking confused at the term.

"Yeah! If you were a boxer you would use a southpaw stance because you're left handed. Orthodox is for right handers. It's basically the stance that puts your non dominant hand in front of you."

"How do you know all of this?" Pyrrhas voice sounded from the ring. "You don't look like a boxer. Big fan?"

"Nah," she lauged. "I'm a fighter, so I've studied and observed multiple styles over the years."

Everyone besides Weiss raised an eyebrow at the small girls claim. She looked far too petite to be a fighter, how could she do any damage?

Pyrrha just grinned and gestured to the ring. "Do you want to spar? With pads on it's unlikely that you'd get hurt."

Weiss was intrigued. She kind of wanted to see a fight between the two girls. She knew Ruby could handle herself, but this was Pyrrha Nikos.

Ruby looked consideringly at the ring. "I'm not a boxer. How confident are you in your boxing to take on someone who uses a different style?"

The red head looked surprised at that. "I can handle myself, I'm sure. Is this to be a match then? Boxing against whatever fighting style you've trained in?"

"What are the rules?" Unconsciously her face had slipped into its business mask, causing everyone to be taken aback a bit at the sudden change in her demeanor. "In the fights I have been in there are no rules, it's just take down the other person. I know boxing is a bit more complicated than that, but I'm not too clear on the particulars."

Pyrrha was now looking down at the girl much more seriously. She was right, boxing did have rules and standards. She was curious to see just how well she could do in a fight without rules. The thought both thrilled her, and made her a bit anxious. The girl in fron of her seemed far to confident in her ability to not have any skill to back it up.

"How about the only rule is to get your opponent to fall to the mat completely? Hands and knees don't count."

Murmurs broke out after that. Pyrrha was the Youth Champion in boxing. As far as anyone knew she had never been taken to the ground completely.

Ruby grinned as she accepted the terms. Before she could move to the ring her hand was grabbed and she turned in surprise. She was met by a pair of concerned ice blue eyes.

"You'll be careful right? I don't want you to get hurt."

"If I do get hurt would you kiss it till it feels better?"

Ruby choked. She couldn't believe she had just said that! It just slipped out! _Whyyyy?! What is wrong with me?!_

Both girls were now flushed a dark red. Luckily no one else had heard that last comment. "I didn't- I mean I don't know why I said that! Forget it! I'm going to fight now." _So stupid!_

Ruby jerkily walked away as Weiss was still too shocked to say anything. She stripped off her hoodie on her way to the ring, and she heard a few shocked exclamations as everyone got a look at the physique hidden beneath the bulky clothing. Her skin was still mottled with bruises, but they were now fading until they were only faint yellow and green splotches on her skin. She was wearing a tight tank top today that hugged her slim build, but also accentuated the lean muscles that slid across her frame. Pyrrha was now looking forward to the match even more; Ruby obviously had a few surprises in store for her.

She changed into the blue sparring padding previously worn by Cinnamon. Pyrrha waited patiently in the middle of the ring as Ruby climbed inside. The gloves felt bulky on her hands, but she had never really planned on throwing any punches anyway.

The two fighters in the ring looked horribly mismatched. One tall and built like an amazon warrior; the other short and wiry looking. Despite her muscles Ruby still managed to look delicate because of her size. The two girls sized each other up from their places in alternate corners of the ring.

"Until one of us go down?" Pyrrha asked, an anticipatory smile on her lips.

"You will." Ruby replied with a smirk. The taller girl chuckled and replaced her red sparring helmet. They nodded that they were ready and one of the other club members shouted for them to begin.

Pyrrha strode into the middle of the ring, arms up and knees bent. Ruby casually walked forward and the two slowly circled each other. Everyone was confused by the smaller girl, she wasn't getting into a defensive position and was leaving her defense wide open. Even Pyrrha began to wonder at the lack of guarding. She truck first, quickly side stepping in close aiming an uppercut into the vulnerable solar plexus. However, Ruby was ready for such a move and practically ducked under the upper cut by fully crouching on one leg and kicking out with the other. Pyrrha's right foot was most vulnerable right now as it was turned outward from the uppercut. Ruby swiped the foot outward and the taller girl did a veritable split as her feet were forced apart.

Silver eyes alight with excitement she retreated while Pyrrha regained her feet. The red head was now looking at her in slight amazement, and caution. The other girls in the gym were silent as they watched their captain almost go down at the hands of the tiny girl.

"You're still thinking about rules, Pyrrha." Ruby said in amusement. "Imagine I am attacking you for real. How will you defend yourself?"

Pyrrha rushed in and threw an overhand punch, but switched at the last second to send a jab out with her left hand. Silver eyes widening at the feint she pulled her head back quickly and threw out a straight punch towards the taller girls face. Green eyes swiftly catching the movement, the taller girl quickly stepped back out of range.

Not a single hit was made, but everyone watched in awe as the two girls practically danced together in the ring. The reflexes required to dodge and counter and dodge again were unreal.

The two girls in the ring grinned at each other. "I thought you said you weren't a boxer. That was an excellent Pull Counter, even if it was an unwitting one." The slight teasing tone made Ruby laugh.

"Well that was very good feint. It's hard to stop an overhand like that, and it was a good way to take advantage of your superior height. I think I should take you down now and avoid the trouble of dodging those fast hands of yours." The red head barked a laugh, truly enjoying their banter.

"Get ready to feel the floor boxer-puncher."

Pyrrha's eyes widened, not only shocked that the smaller girl had figured out her specific boxing style, but also at the sudden charge the silver eyed girl broke into.

Ruby grinned at the look on Pyrrha's face. She could have ended this match from the very beginning, but it had been a long time since she had been in such a friendly fight. There was no pressure to win, no underlying reason to fight other than they liked it. She almost felt bad about ending it so soon, but she was also looking forward to seeing the other girls face when she fell to the floor.

She watched as Pyrrha fell into a full crouch defensive position. While usually a good defensive stance, it was more suited to smaller boxers. Pyrrha was used to fighting girls close to her own size; not someone small and quick. Ruby rushed in close, practically flush against the bigger girl. Not expecting the closeness she tried to slip under Ruby's hold, but the small girl had anticipated this. As soon as Pyrrha's body lowered to duck under her hold and her right foot shuffled against the floor she was in Ruby's trap.

Ruby moved with the bigger girls duck, keeping their bodies close as she simply hooked her foot to hit the back of the red heads knee and latched onto the girls still upraised arms. Her knee buckled and Ruby pulled in the opposite direction. Pyrrha tried to catch herself with her other foot, but Ruby sweeped the off balance foot to the side and let gravity do the rest. She twisted so that she landed on top of the girl as the red padded girl crashed to the floor with a shocked thud.

Ruby was practically sitting on the other girls stomach as she smiled down into her shocked face. The gym was dead silent, the club members disbelieving that Pyrha- **Pyrrha**!- lost. Not one hit landed on either girl; they weren't sure if it could really be called a fight. All they knew is that their captain was lying in defeat at the hands of a small, young girl.

Pyrrha looked up into Ruby's grinning face in shock. Then she started to laugh. She laughed so hard tears streamed from her eyes. After a few minutes she noticed that a still grinning Ruby had risen and was offering her a hand up from the ground. Still chuckling she accepted the hand and clambered to her feet. She looked at their still shocked audience and smirked.

"I lost!" She said it with such cheer in her voice her club members were now worried about possible head injuries.

Weiss was still struck speechless. That fight had looked so simple on the outside. It was a fight with no blood, no injuries, and basically no violence. That had been a pure showing of skill, and while it had looked so easy and plain it had truly been anything but. Anyone else in that ring would have been knocked out with Pyrrha's first punch, or would have been brought down with Ruby's first sweeping kick to the feet.

She could also tell that both girl's had been holding back, and that somewhat scared her. They were deadly forces in their own right, and they had simply been playing with each other.

Ruby peeled off the blue headgear and ran her hand through her short crop of hair. She watched Pyrrha walk over and place a hand on her shoulder.

"I would like to spar with you again sometime. Maybe next time we will both show the other what we can really do."

"I think I'd like that." She grinned. "Although, you're only going to lose again. You're a straight boxer-puncher, and no matter how good you are if you can't adapt to fighting other martial arts you can't beat me."

Pyrrha chuckled. "I think you may be right. Maybe you can teach me some new moves someday."

"Sure thing!" She looked around the room and her eyes met a pair of intense blue eyes and she grinned.

"How is Weiss doing with her training?"

"She has been doing very well. Right now I have her focused on endurance training and strength building, but I think she is just about ready to move on to some actual technical skills."

"Don't make her too badass. I might feel threatened."

The green eyed amazon just chuckled and shook her head as she moved over to her club mates. "Ok, who can tell me what I did wrong in that match?"

Ruby walked over to Weiss and stretched, feeling fully refreshed and relaxed. Blue eyes looked at her curiously for a moment before the white haired girl just shook her head. "You just never cease to impress me, Ruby."

"Is that a bad thing?" She grinned as she shimmied back into her hoodie.

"Not at all. I just can't believe you fought with Pyrrha and didn't get a scratch."

Suddenly both girls remembered what Ruby had said before the fight, and their faces lit up in identical blushes. Ruby recovered first and she cleared her throat.

"S-should we head to the café? I've been wanting to see Velvet again, ever since Yang told me she ate breakfast there."

Together they walked off school grounds and towards the café. They wouldn't admit it, but they walked just a little closer to eachother than they had before, the backs of their hands brushing occasionally.

Ruby felt the light brushes of Weiss' hand against her own, and a small blush grew on her cheeks. She admitted something to herself that scared her, but also made her feel incredibly warm inside. _I kinda wish that Weiss really would kiss my injuries until they get better._

* * *

Weiss dialed the number on the card with determination. She needed to know the truth about Ruby's parents. Ruby deserved so much better than what she had, and she was furious at the possibility that the girl had been purposefully abandoned.

The phone rang a few times before she heard a click. Her heart skipped until she heard the start of a recorded message.

"Hello, this is Ozpin. I'm sorry to miss your call, but I have been called away to Vacuo for a family emergency. I will be back in Vale on October 19th. If you wish to leave your name and number I will get back to you once I am back in town."

She sighed as she waited for the beep that would signal her to start her message. It would be a whole month until she could get her answers, but she could be patient.

"Hello Professor Ozpin, this is Weiss Schnee. I need to speak to you about Ruby Rose. She doesn't want to talk to you, but I think that we should talk anyway."

After leaving her number and hanging up she flopped down her bed with an aggravated sigh. Her phone chimed and she blearily looked at it and saw that Ruby had texted her. 'Goodnight Snowflake! Hope you have a good day at school tomorrow'

She smirked. 'Don't call me snowflake' she sent back with a frowny emoji. She received an emoji with its tongue sticking out and she chuckled. She had made a lot of progress with Ruby today, and while the younger girl had always been a bit playful, she seemed even more so after their talk earlier today. Her heart still ached for all that the younger girl had gone through- Yang too- but she was glad that it seemed to have brought them closer together.

Rolling over she pulled the blankets to cover her and turned off the bedside lamp. She thought over everything that had happened and she began to blush lightly before she forced her eyes shut so she could sleep. One final thought drifted through her mind before she fell asleep. _I kind of wish that Ruby had gotten an injury I could kiss and make better._

* * *

 **Hello again! So first things first, holy crap that was a lot of reviews! Thank you guys so much! I know I said I would shout out to everyone who reviewed, but the shout outs are getting too long. If I only have a few reviews I will shout out to everyone, but if I have a lot I will have to start picking and choosing who I shout out.**

 **Nextly-ha- I want to say sorry if it feels like I forced the plot to further here a bit early. I tried to write it differently, but this was the way it wanted to be done. A lot is discovered here, but there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered. I tried to develop the relationship between Ruby and Weiss a lot in this chapter. They at least admit to themselves that there is some sort of attraction between them.**

 **Aslo, I know the fight scene wasn't anything special this chapter, but I wanted to use this chance to show what fighting is supposed to be for Ruby. It's supposed to be fun for her, she loves to spar and put her abilities against someone else. Fighting for money and having to hurt others is not what she wants, and it hurts her. Giving her this innocent match with Pyrrha was a way for me to show that she truly loves simply the art of fighting, and the fun that can be had by sharing it with someone else.**

 **Sorry if the point of view changes a lot in this chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Holy Crow you guys I'm sorry it's been practically a month! Keeping it short this time so you can get to the story. This is a really long chapter at almost 12,000 words. I'm counting it as two chapters in one. Heads up that the writing gets choppy and awkward towards the end, but it gets better for the last 2,000 words or so.**

 **PLEASE READ! This chapter is darker than normal. After the sort of fluffy ch 9 I needed to make this chapter darker to really show that Ruby's mindset is getting worse the longer she stays. There are broken bones and blood in this chapter.**

 **To naruhinafan11,Vanitas Lunar,WolvesRock14,ThoughtfulWings,Ellight1, TheLatiKing, Celestial-pricess,GrnDrgnzrd,Hellwyrm,RedtheWolf2,Lord Darth Yoda,UltimateRwbyShipper, and BerserkBookWorm. Thank you all for taking the time to write reviews for this story, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint anybody. You guys are the best, and I really appreciate all of your comments on the story. Sorry if I missed anyone else who reviewed.**

 **To the story!**

* * *

Ruby skipped through Ember as she made her way to the fighters lounge. It was Saturday afternoon and she was finally getting a chance to participate in Ember's notorious co-ed fights. Oakmont had separate club altogether for men's fighting while the Warehouse was used only for women's fights, but Ember had no problem letting men and women fight in the arena. It was actually considered a special even that only happened once a month, and this time Ruby would be fighting. Some part of her told her to calm down, but she was just too excited about the challenge this fight would pose.

Co-ed fights were known as some of the bloodiest fights to ever happen inside Ember's walls. Female fighters typically chose to go in with a weapon, and these fights were usually vicious. All Ruby hoped was that she could knock out her opponent without doing much damage. She liked to fight, but fighting until the other person physically can't anymore was chipping away at her.

Arriving at the lounge she stashed her stuff into a vacant locker and changed into an old pair of jeans and an old t-shirt. She was glad she had remembered to bring them this time and wouldn't risk putting any holes or blood stains on her newer clothes. Looking down to tie her shoes on tighter she saw a two inch gap between the top of her shoes and the hem of her pants. _Huh, I don't remember these pants being that old. Must be a pair I got a few years ago._

The door opened and she watched as a fairly tall guy with silver gray hair that reminded her of unpolished metal. He wore a simple outfit of a tight, dark gray long-sleeve shirt and a pair of loose, black pants. He looked at her with dark gray eyes and gave her a small smirk.

"You must be Rose." He walked forward and Ruby noticed how he seemed to walk a little stiffly, like he didn't want to bend his knees much.

"That's me!" She said excitedly. "Are you my opponent?"

His disdainful look told her exactly what he thought of her seemingly carefree attitude.

"I am. Name's Mercury." He looked her over again and regained his confident smirk. "When I heard you would be participating this time around I just had to convince Cinder to let me fight you. The new fighter who hasn't lost a match yet? I thought that I had to see for myself what the fuss was about." He took in her carefully blank and open expression and scoffed a little.

"Guess I shouldn't have expected too much."

With that he sauntered away to one of the couches and plopped down with a small sigh. She gave her own smirk as she turned away. _Good, the less you're expecting the better._

They waited in silence until they were called for their match. She kept a lighthearted grin on her face the entire time.

Other fighters who were now in the crowd who had fought her before knew exactly what game she was playing. Make your opponent think you're weak, then beat them before they know what hit them. None of the men had seen Rose fight yet, so they were all waiting to see if the tactic would work. Mercury was probably the best fighter on the men's side, and he was ruthless. They would all love to see him taken down a peg.

Ruby took her regular relaxed stance and waited for the match to begin. The crowd was rowdier today, even though it was still only around 6:30 p.m. Loud shouts came from all around as people called out bets and encouraged their fighter to win. Mercury took a basic fighters side stance, his arms raised in front of him and his right foot forward.

The call from Cinder came to begin the match. Mercury ran forward, surprising her as she was not expecting him to rush in so early in the fight. He came in quick with a high kick towards her face. Reacting before the leg could reach her she moved to duck underneath the kick. She quickly saw this as a mistake as the high kick was only a feint. He used the motion to bring his foot back down, and he dipped his body in a twist as he jumped. Silver eyes widened as she realized he had flawlessly moved into a Butterfly Twist without building up to it. He had used the momentum of his fake kick to carry him into it, and she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid the hit that was coming.

His body completely off the ground one foot flew over her head, but with the twist of his body in the air he brought the other foot around to land a devastating blow against the side of her head with a loud crack. It had all happened in the blink of an eye, and the crowd was going wild as she was thrown to the side.

She almost passed out from the hit, she could feel blackness invading her mind and it was nothing but adrenaline and instinct that kept her moving. Rolling as far as she could she struggled to her feet, stumbling almost drunkenly. Her jumbled mind was processing what had just happened when blood began to seep down her face. The pain hit her all at once as she reached up and found a nasty gash on her forehead close to her temple. That kick was no ordinary kick; it had way too much weight behind it, and she snarled when she realized just what was going on. _The bastard tied metal pieces to his legs!_ _That's why he was walking so stiffly!_

Ruby didn't think she had felt this angry since the Malachite sisters had snuck in brass knuckles to fight Yang. She hated the tricks and the lies. She tolerated the weapons at Ember because most fighters used them openly, but this was a whole different level of subterfuge. With her mind cloudy with pain and anger she glared at the gray haired boy who had begun to charge at her again.

Mercury stopped in his tracks when he saw her face; twisted in a vicious snarl, covered in blood, and those silver eyes now hard and cold as they glared at him with what he could only describe as rage. The difference between this face and the dopey smile she had worn earlier caused him to pause, but only briefly. Getting over his surprise he rushed forward again planning on ending the fight right here.

She had seen his hesitation for that brief moment, and she took advantage of it to become steadier on her feet. She was going to end this fight, one way or another. He moved for a basic front kick at her chest, but using her right arm she redirected it off to the side. Pain ran up her forearm as she absorbed the force of his weighted kick, but she pushed the pain from her mind so she could focus on her next move. His stance now turned slightly away from her she closed in and thrust her hand through his guard. Using the space between her thumb and first finger as a wedge she jammed her hand against his windpipe in a vicious strike. He stumbled back with a gag as his throat practically closed from the trauma.

Not wasting her advantage she closed in again and delivered a few swift punches into his exposed solar plexus. Her strikes were swift and precise, and she managed to land almost five blows before he somehow regained himself and pushed away from her. He fell back into a roll and continued into a backflip to land him back on his feet. He was wheezing, both from his damaged throat and the multiple hits to his sternum having caused him to lose his breath.

They glared at each other from across the ring, each no longer underestimating the other. They circled each other in the ring like dogs looking for an opening, both of their defenses fully up in preparation for an attack. She refused to move first. Her fighting style was best utilized when being attacked, not while attacking, and she wanted him to come to her. Her vision was still a little shaky from the kick she took earlier, and blood was streaming from the gash in her forehead into her right eye.

"You might be more fun than I originally thought," her opponent said suddenly. The smirk was back on his face as he had finally caught his breathe. "You won't get another hit like that in again."

He charged in again, and Ruby felt herself smile in anticipation.

The crowd around the arena was going crazy. They yelled and cheered as the fighters seemed to perform some sort of violent dance around each other. Short brutal kicks were thrown, only to be dodged or seemingly effortlessly knocked away. They would twist in close together only to suddenly spring apart. Other fighters who were in the crowd looked on in amazement as Rose would weave around Mercury's movements, then the boy would flip away before any major hits could be taken. They had all lost to the small girl before, but they had never seen her look so ferocious in a fight. Everyone was at the edge of their seats as the fight went on.

Ruby studied her opponent's movements. She felt like she had a pretty good grasp on his movements, and she could anticipate when he would strike and where. His kicks were powerful and precise, and he always aimed at places meant to cause the most damage. He was also good at evasive moves as well; anytime she got close he would practically dance right out of her range. She needed to get him in close, and then make a move to end this fight once and for all. She had a plan to stop him in his tracks, and to ensure he knew just what she thought of his underhanded tactics.

For the first time during this fight Ruby made the first move. She dashed in and jumped at him. Startled he stumbled back as she landed in a roll close to his feet. Thinking he had an opening he raised his right foot almost straight up in front of his face, then axed it down hoping to catch the girl on her exposed head. However, this is what Ruby was waiting for. Right before the axe kick could land she leaned back so it passed by harmlessly in front of her face. His left foot had shifted as he had thrown his right hip forward with the kick, and his heel was still lifted off the ground. Lunging forward she grasped his foot with both hands and jerked his foot to the side.

He was not prepared for both of his feet to be pushed so close together and he wobbled. Ruby jabbed out a quick punch to the side of his knee and he started to fall. As he fell she gathered all of her strength and punched up into the side falling towards her. She delivered a massive hit to his left ribcage, and she was rewarded as he let out a pained gasp as he fell to the floor holding his side. _Liver shots always hurt like a bitch._

Everyone cheered as Ruby got to her feet quickly. Before Mercury could move to defend himself she grabbed his right foot; one hand at the top, and one cupping the heel. She looked right at him in that moment; saw when his eyes widened and felt when he tried to jerk away. She twisted the foot violently, and he let out a cry of pain that no one could miss. She dropped the foot and simply backed up, breathing heavily. The pain in her head was starting to make her a bit nauseous, that and what she had just done. Never before had she intentionally broken someone's bones, but she kept telling herself that it had been the only way to stop the fight. He wouldn't have stopped until one of them was lying broken on the floor, and she knew it.

"You Bitch!" He suddenly yelled at her, breaking her out of her thoughts. She watched in fascinated horror as he climbed to his feet, his broken ankle causing his foot to lie limply against the ground. The crowd went nuts as he gained his feet and faced her. She was too shocked to react fast enough as he jumped forward on his good foot and grasped her shoulders. He landed a hard knee strike right into her chest using the leg with the broken foot.

She felt the wind leave her lungs, and she gagged in pain. Luckily she kept the contents of her stomach down, but it was a near thing. She fell forward as he stumbled back unevenly. On her hands and knees she tried to clear the black edges that were creeping along her peripherals. She took a pained breath and gritted her teeth. She looked up in time to see him up close again as he was about to punch down at her. She caught it at the last second and redirected the punch to go past her, causing him to lose his balance. Striking up into his left side again she stood up as he doubled over. She placed both hands on the back of his head and swept the foot that was supporting him out to the side. As he fell she threw his head down as hard as she could. Everyone heard the thud as his face hit the ground and his body landed a second afterwards.

Mercury didn't move, and she was certain he had finally lost consciousness. She stood there breathing heavily as she was declared the winner, the cheers coming from all around her. She looked down at the unconscious boy at her feet. Kneeling down she rolled up the legs of his pants and undid the knots holding the metal to his legs. She laid them by his head so they would be the first thing he saw when he woke up, and then she simply walked back to the lounge. Fleece was standing just inside the door with a wet rag in his hands. She was always surprised that such a fierce looking ram faunus could have such gentle eyes.

"Cinder wants to see you as soon as you get cleaned up. No more fights for you tonight." With that he placed the rag gently against her head before leaving the room. The cool rag felt good against her hot skin, and she gratefully let the rag rest against her face. Slowly she made her way to the bathroom and took a look at herself in the mirror. Blood covered most of the side of her face and ran in rivulets down her neck to soak into her shirt. The gash was still bleeding a bit and she used her own first aid kit to clean it as best she could and tape some gauze over it. She washed all traces of blood off her skin before changing back into her regular clothes.

She felt better after pulling on her hoodie, the shaking in her stomach seeming to calm down a bit as she was enveloped in its familiar warmth. She didn't think her nerves had been that frayed until the shaking stopped. She made eye contact with her reflection as she thought about all she had just done. She remembered the spar she had with Pyrrha just the other day, and how good she had felt afterwards. Now her eyes darkened as she remembered the feel of the boy's ankle cracking under her own hands. _Is all of this worth it? I don't like the things I do when I'm here, but I don't know what else to do._

She shook her head before she gathered up the rest of her stuff and moved shakily up to Cinder's office. She knocked and the door was almost immediately opened by the amber eyed woman inside. Moving inside she took a seat as Cinder sat on the edge of her desk.

"I wanted to stop that fight the second I knew Merc had kept on his metal leg plates. I told him not to wear them, but once the fight starts there is really very little I can do to stop it." Her tone was apologetic, and Ruby merely shook her head at the older girl.

"If he hadn't tried to hide them it would have been fine. I know typically it's ok to have a knife or something hidden in a pocket, but metal plates on his shins was a bit excessive." Cinder chuckled at that.

"Excessive is a mild term. Merc is usually one of my personal bodyguards, and those plates of his come in handy. He only fights occasionally to fill in gaps if we have them. When he heard about you he wanted to see what you could do, and I had given him permission only if he didn't use those plates." Her amber eyes flashed angrily for a second. "He said he wouldn't and he lied. If you hadn't broken his leg then I would have for disobeying me."

Ruby flinched at the hard conviction in Cinder's voice. She had no doubt the young crime boss would have indeed broken a few bones for that transgression.

"Is that why you called me up here?"

"Sort of. I wanted to make sure you were ok. Breaking his leg is something **I** would have done. It doesn't sound like something you would do." Silver eyes met amber questioningly. Cinder sighed.

"You're eyes are becoming darker, like they were when we first met. Sometimes they look really bright, but a lot of the times they are dark and troubled."

"I-," she broke off, unsure how to continue. "I… underestimated what it took to be a fighter. I like to fight, but I don't like hurting people; if that even makes any sense."

The older girl contemplated what she said for a few moments. "It does make sense. Fighting is different for a lot of people. You don't like needless violence, which is basically all you will see in my club. It's what the crowd wants, so we give it to them."

Ruby just nodded her head. She knew she wasn't going to stop this until she could finally get the money she needed to get her and her sister out of this life. Cinder was basically making a point that Ruby wanted to confront Yang about herself. Over time her sister seemed to become more resigned to their life, and her fighting was just going through the motions. It was really what had pushed her to seek this job. She looked at the older girl in front of her.

"Cinder, do you ever think about getting out of this life?"

A dark eyebrow rose. "Out of the crime world?" Ruby nodded.

"No," she said confidently. Silver eyes looked at her questioningly.

"I won't lie to you Ruby. I like this life, it suits me. I was raised for this and I don't regret anything that I have done." Cinder paused as she looked at the red clad girl in front of her. "Well, almost nothing."

"What do you regret?" She was surprised to see the normally unflappable woman look at her with a slight grimace before she smoothed out her features.

"You." Cinder laughed when Ruby's eyes widened. "Our…realationship a few years ago. That's what I regret."

"Is it the age difference? 'Cuz we both know how arbitrary age really is."

"Oooh 'arbitrary' huh? Big words for such a little girl." Silver eyes just glared at her a bit. "I was seventeen, you were twelve Ruby! I don't know why I even started that with you."

Ruby was genuinely shocked. Cinder actually looked bothered about this. She knew that by normal standards their past relationship would be considered wrong, but they both hadn't been in the best places mentally or emotionally. The age difference had never bothered her, but Cinder obviously felt pretty strongly about it.

"You started it because we were the same. We both were so angry; at everything. We both felt alone; even though you had your dad and I had Yang." Their eyes met solemnly. "Our 'relationship' only lasted a few weeks anyway. We both came out better for it."

She watched as Cinder slowly nodded and flashed her a quick, small smile. "Yes, we did. That's why I want to make sure you are doing ok. As I said before, your eyes are beginning to look dark again. A lot like they did back then."

"I'm fine. I promise. I just need to stick with this a little longer and then I can stop." Ruby built her resolve to finish this through. She was closer to making her dream come true, and she wasn't going to quit now just because it was hard. Life was hard, so you had to work hard to make it better.

They talked for a few more minutes before she pushed to her feet. She wobbled a little as the room spun just a bit, but she gritted her teeth and pushed through the slight dizziness. Her head was beginning to pound in pain, and there were some pretty colorful bruises beginning to form around the gauze taped to her forehead. Her arms ached as well from redirecting all those kicks. Overall she wasn't in the best shape, but it was manageable. She was only worried what Yang would say when she saw her.

She collected her payment and left, walking instead of her usual run. It was an early night for her so she had time before she had to be at the Warehouse. Looking at her phone she saw that it was only 7:40 so she had basically three hours before she had to absolutely be at work. If she continued to walk it would take about an hour to get home, but then she would take the risk of running into Yang and having to explain her injuries again. Her sister had been ok with ignoring the bruises, but Ruby doubted that she would ignore actual bleeding wounds on her face.

She meandered through the streets in the general direction of home, but she became aware of a tightening sensation in her shoulders that she recognized. Stopping in the middle of the street she turned around to face a seemingly empty alley.

"If you're gonna follow me you could at least do a better job of making sure I don't notice."

Two figures stepped out of the shadows and she internally groaned as she saw the faces of the not so sneaky sneaks.

"Jim, Joe. What the hell do you want? I'm not in the mood to beat you guys up right now."

"Shut up, kid! You're the one whose gonna get beat this time." Jim snarled at her as Joe flashed her a confident smirk.

She could feel her temper flaring up. She truly was not in the mood to deal with them right now. She was still upset with her fight, and her head was killing her right now.

"One last chance, guys. Leave. Me. Alone." She glared at them, letting he temper show through a bit in hopes that they would show the tiniest bit of intelligence and do what she said.

Her eyes narrowed when they began to saunter closer to her. _They truly only have one functioning brain cell between the two of them._

"It's just you out here this time. You don't have your sister here to look out for you now. This time you have to deal with us alllll by yourself." They both flashed her greasy smiles. Joe spoke up for the first time as they now stood right in front of her.

"That big bitch can't help you now."

Ruby snapped. Forgoing any sort of fighting courtesy she kicked Joe right between the legs. He howled and grabbed himself as he hunched over in pain. Jim lashed out angrily, but she easily twirled away from the hit. She stopped suddenly when the world tilted around her. It was only a moment's hesitation, but it was enough for Jim to send another punch into the side of her head.

She stumbled back. She snarled as she forced her eyes to focus on the boys in front of her. Her head was really pounding now, but she pushed the pain away to focus on the fight. Joe had regained himself, and now looked pissed beyond belief. Jim was cocky now that he had gotten a hit in. _I'm going to make sure these assholes know better than to mess with me again._

She moved in suddenly and threw a punch at Jim. He jerked back to avoid the blow, but she had never intended to hit him anyway. She hooked a foot behind his leg as he backed up, causing him to trip. Joe swung wildly at her but she grabbed his fist and moved back with the force. She turned his hand so his knuckles now faced him and pushed back. His arm bent as his wrist was over extended, sending waves of pain up his arm. She kept twisting until Joe fell to his knees, and then she kicked him onto his back. Still holding onto his hand she now was holding his arm straight up behind him as he struggled.

Jim pushed back up to his feet, but before he could move closer Ruby met his eyes with her own completely emotionless gaze. She stared right at the other boy as she stomped down onto the back of Joe's shoulder while she simultaneously pulled up on the arm she held. There was a loud cracking sound followed by a bellow of pain from the downed boy. Jim just stared in shock as she calmly moved away from the boy whose shoulder she had just nonchalantly dislocated.

Jim panicked and reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a switchblade. He flicked it open, but Ruby just kept walking towards him.

"Stay back you bitch! I'll use this if I have to."

Wholly unimpressed she kept walking. With a cry of anger Jim ran at her and slashed at her with the blade. Ducking under his arm she quickly kicked out at the side of his knee. His leg buckled and he fell. Using the same move she had used on Mercury she struck her hand directly into Jim's neck. He fell to the ground grasping at his throat as his abused airways refused to let him take a breath. She kicked away the fallen knife, and stared at Jim as he struggled to take in air.

Half a minute later he finally took in a big, gasping breath. After he had taken a few more breaths Ruby gave him a vicious kick in the side. He yelped and rolled over where he was held in place by her angry, silver gaze. He crouched down next to him while she glared at him.

"I don't ever want to be bothered by you two again. Next time you try something like this I won't be so nice."

She walked over to Joe who had stayed on the ground to groan in pain at his dislocated shoulder. He turned his head to glare at her as she got closer. She gave him a kick as well, and then another before she crouched down by his head.

"No one calls my sister a bitch."

She left after that and continued her walk. That whole conflict only took up five minutes of her time, and she made it to her apartment building at about 8:50. She climbed the steps to the third floor, but then just stood outside her apartment for a minute. She didn't want to have to confront Yang at the moment so she looked at Blake's door consideringly. With a shrug she walked across the hall.

* * *

Blake was reading one of her favorite books as she sat on her run down second hand couch. Even after giving up all of her stuff to get here she had kept this book and a few others. This particular one had always spoken to her. The Man With Two Souls had become a favorite when she noticed that the war within the main character was a lot like her own struggles within herself. She credited this book with helping her realize that where she had been and what she had done was not who she wanted to be, and she had fought her own fears to leave and start becoming who she felt she really was.

Drawn into the story she was very startled when a loud knock sounded from her door. She moved silently to the door and creaked it open the tiniest bit while keeping the small chain latched. Her eyes widened when she saw Ruby standing there with a bloody piece of gauze taped to her face. She quickly shut the door to unhook the chain and opened it wide for the younger girl.

"Ruby, are you ok?"

Ruby walked in with a grateful smile as she nodded her head. "Yeah, I just didn't want Yang to see me yet so I came here. Was that ok?"

"Yes, of course. You and Yang are always welcome." Blake studied the smaller girl as she moved to take a seat on the couch. Her amber eyes noted the slight slump in the usually straight shoulders, and how that smile from before hadn't reached her eyes. She had been meaning to talk to Ruby about the injuries that she kept acquiring, but had never found a good time to bring it up. The younger girl obviously wanted to hide it from Yang, and she had never really gotten the opportunity to speak to Ruby alone.

"You're starting to bleed through your gauze." She walked over and pulled on Ruby's hand until she followed her to the small bathroom. Ruby began to fuss with her wrapping while Blake pulled out her own medical supplies. Being a fighter led to a constant need to keep stocked up on basic first aid materials. She turned and reached out to take the soiled gauze away, but the silver eyed girl backed up a step.

"I can get it Blake. It's not a big deal, honest."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow at her and the two just stood there in silence. Blake waited until Ruby finally sighed and stepped back within range. The gash underneath the gauze was still seeping blood and she became concerned at just how wide it was.

"This might need stitches Ruby. As it is it looks like it will cause a scar. What happened?" She began to clean the wound as Ruby just waved her hand dismissively.

"Just a stupid fall. Hit it off a brick wall when I tripped on my way back from my last delivery."

"For having the reputation as being the best runner you sure seem to fall a lot and hurt yourself." Ruby fidgeted at the words. Blake made sure to look seriously into those silver eyes.

"How long do you think Yang will believe that excuse?"

"I-I don't know what you mean." She rolled her eyes. She taped a larger gauze bad over the gash, wincing as the younger girl flinched at the pressure to the surrounding bruised skin.

"Ruby, I know you don't get injuries like those with a fall. I know what skin looks like when it's been forcibly split. Chain bruises on your sides, split lips and black eyes. Now this. What's really going on?" Blake felt a little nervous that she was overstepping her bounds, but she cared for the younger girl. Knowing that she was getting hurt didn't sit well with her, and she had noticed that those silver eyes would sometimes become hard and shadowed. Sometimes it only lasted a few seconds, but it was still worrisome.

Her eyes widened when Ruby pushed past her with an exasperated sigh. "They're not that bad! Like you or Yang haven't gotten just as bad, or worse than this. I'm fine! Why can't you guys just leave me alone!" Silver eyes glared at her and she just stood there shocked. As quick as the glare appeared it melted into a regretful expression.

"I'm sorry Blake. My head is killing me, and I lost my temper. I just need a quiet place to be before heading into work, ok?"

Blake nodded and motioned to the couch. Together they sat down and silence descended in the room. After a few minutes she looked over and found Ruby leaning back with her eyes closed.

"If you need somebody to talk to, I'll be here," she said softly. Ruby slowly opened her eyes and turned to look at her. Those silver eyes looked right at her, and Blake felt as if they could see deeper into her than anyone had before. The younger girl sat there staring at her before she let out a soft sigh and smiled the tiniest bit.

"I'll be ok. I know you don't really believe that I can handle myself in a fight, but I'm good." She turned to face her more fully. "I'm working towards something, and I'm getting close. Just a little more time and I'll be done. I'm going to be ok."

Blake nodded at her words. Ruby seemed so sincere and serious. Whatever she was working towards obviously was very important to her with the emphatic way she spoke about it. She was still worried about the younger girl, but she was content with that small bit of information.

"Is Yang going to accept this though? So far all you have had is bruising, but this looks like it could have potentially been a serious injury. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a concussion as well."

"She should be fine. I'll just remind her that she promised to trust me to take care of myself for now." Ruby suddenly flashed her a small mischievous grin.

"Speaking of Yang…" Blake tensed at the younger girls tone. "You seem to be spending an awful lot of time together."

"W-well we're friends, right? Friends can hang out with each other." Ruby gave a small hum at that before she grinned again.

"Yes, but do friends secretly look at each other when they think the other person isn't looking?"

 _Well crap._

She felt a blush start to burn in her cheeks, but she fought it down. Ruby was surprisingly observant. "T-that…I don't do that." She said lamely, inwardly cringing at the complete lack of believability.

"Who said you were the one who sneaks glances?"

Her head whipped around so fast she felt a small crack in her neck. Her cheeks flamed. "What?!"

Silver eyes filling with genuine laughter Ruby giggled into her hand. Blake just glared as the other girl's mirth faded away after a few minutes of snickering.

"O-oh Blake, your reactions are too good." Ruby wiped an imaginary tear from her eye and Blake just rolled her eyes.

"And I thought Yang was the theatric one."

Ruby just gave her a grin that slowly turned into a soft smile while her silver eyes became gentle.

"Thank you for being a friend, Blake. Yang and I keep ourselves pretty isolated, but it's been really nice having someone else around. If it makes you feel any better I think that you are really good for Yang."

She didn't know what to say. She had barely gotten around to admitting to herself that she actually liked the blonde across the hall, and here was Ruby telling her to basically go for it. She felt a fluttery sensation in the pit of her stomach and she gulped.

"Do you really think so?"

"Sure. We may not know much about you right now, but so far we can tell that you're a good person. Yang probably wouldn't appreciate me butting in like this, but I've never seen her so genuinely interested in someone."

Blake felt a warm feeling take root in her chest at the younger girl's words. When she had left her old life behind she had never expected to find people who just accepted her for who she was so easily. The sisters had never tried to pry into her past, had accepted that she wanted to hide her faunus heritage, and had formed their opinion of her by how she acted, and not by what she was. It was everything she had been looking for, and everything she never thought she'd find.

Yang and Ruby could very well possibly be the best friends she had ever had, and she had only known them a short while. Now Ruby was telling her that she could possibly have more. While the very idea made her feel warm, her innate cautiousness made her hesitate to fully believe it. Again she had only known them a few weeks; can that really be enough to fully trust someone? Would they still feel this way if they knew her past?

"Ruby…," she started warily. Then there was a loud knock on the door, followed by the familiar sound of a certain blonde's voice as she shouted through the door.

"Blake! It's time to head to work! Come on, come on, come on!"

Blake rolled her eyes while Ruby grimaced slightly. "Does she do that every night?"

She just nodded her head as the knocking on her door continued. With a sigh Ruby pushed to her feet and gave Blake a slightly tired grin.

"Well guess it's time to head to work."

Her amber eyes tracked the girl as she crossed to the door and opened it. Yang stood on the other side, and her face went from surprise to worry in a heartbeat as she noticed the gauze patched to her sister's face.

Blake made her way over and just watched as the sisters worked through this newest injury, and just like Ruby had said she just had to remind Yang that she had trusted the younger girl to take care of herself to get her to stop asking questions about it. For the first time in a while they all got to walk to work together, and Blake felt something loosen in her chest. Like she had had a large knot that suddenly unwound as she spent more and more time with the two girls with her.

Looking out of the corner of her at the taller blonde next to her she decided that it was time to do some sharing of her own. If she wanted anything to go further with Yang she knew she would have to tell her everything. It would be better to find out now if the other girl could accept everything she had done before she tried to progress things. The only problem would be finding the right time to talk to her.

* * *

Ruby stretched her arms above her head and sighed happily when she felt her back crack satisfyingly. The night was half over and she was counting down the time until she could go home and sleep. She had only had to change the gauze on her head once since arriving, and she was glad that the bleeding seemed to have stop. It would probably scar, but she really did not want to get stitches. She had learned a few years earlier that getting stitches was a very painful process, and entirely gross to watch. She had learned how to give stitches only for Yang's sake, but if she could help it she refused to go anywhere near the dreaded needles and thread.

Blake was up next and she was looking forward to the upcoming fight. There was a fairly new girl that had been pretty open about her hatred of faunus, and while nobody but her and Yang knew about Blake, she was still looking forward to how the amber eyed girl would handle this fight.

Moving through the crowd as the fight began she kept one eye on the fight and smiled when it appeared that Blake was toying with the new comer to drag the fight on. So far all of her strikes had been well placed to cause pain, but not a whole lot of damage. The new girl, Ash, was good no doubt about it, but Blake was better. So far her friend had only been hit a few times, and those hits had landed in areas that caused no actual damage.

Ruby had noticed that Blake had an uncanny ability to somehow move out of the way so the worst hits landed in less crucial areas. Even with that first fight with Yang it had been like she was able to move her body so her vital spots wouldn't be hit. Ruby still had no idea how she did it, but then again she had no idea how Yang was able to stay at top performance even after getting pummeled by an opponent.

She continued to watch the fight out of the corner of her eye as she moved through her section. From her peripheral she watched as Ash struck out at Blake's face, but the punch seemed to slip right past. Ruby thought that hit had completely missed until she saw her friend jerk back and raise a hand to her cheek. Ruby turned her full attention to the fight then as she saw blood leak out from under Blake's hand. Her silver eyes widened when Ash moved in again and Blake lifted her hand to block the incoming hit, and she saw the thin line across the faunus' cheek that was sending rivulets of blood down her face.

 _That isn't right! That looks like…a…cut._

Silver eyes flashing angrily she took a closer look at the combatants. Ash had a smirk on her face, while Blake looked surprised and angry all at once. She saw her friend's amber eyes flash down to look at her opponents right hand before rising again. Ruby followed her gaze down to the other girl's right hand and noticed that her hand was mostly hidden by the long sleeve of her shirt.

Ruby ran from her section and dumped her box at the collections counter without stopping. Ignoring any shouts behind her she dashed down the staircase into the fighters lounge. A startled Yang sat up from the couch and called out to her, but she ignored it in favor of reaching the door to the arena. With a growl she jerked the door open and ran out in time to see Ash moving back from Blake, the latter sporting another slash down one forearm. At the sight of the blood Ruby felt her world narrow down, and she rushed out into the arena with an enraged shout.

The crowd was confused when another fighter ran out into the fight, but they enjoyed the new aspect to the show and cheered as a small girl in a red hoodie ran at the larger girl and jumped to slam both feet into the startled girl's chest.

Ruby kicked off the larger girl and flipped to land on her feet in a crouch. She heard multiple cries of her name as Yang chased her out on the floor, and Blake called out in surprise. She pushed all sound from her head and focused on the girl in front of her. Ash had recovered from the surprise attack and now looked at the smaller girl warily.

Ruby ran at her and the other girl charged to meet her. She ducked a kick and punched viciously at the knee supporting the other girl's weight. Her leg buckled, but she caught herself on her other leg. Ruby kicked at the girl's exposed side, then delivered a quick series of punches to the abused area. Ash swung back blindly, but Ruby caught the hand aimed at her face and twisted it while pushing the girl's arm up and behind her back. The larger girl fell to her knees and arched her back in pain, hoping to relieve the painful strain on her shoulder. Forcing the girl to the ground Ruby kept a tight grip on her hand. Finally getting a closer look she saw that the girl had a small switchblade clenched in one hand, the blade just big enough to stick out of her clenched fist and be hidden by the length of sleeve.

Prying the knife from Ash's hand she held it up for everyone to see.

"Fighter Ash smuggled an illegal weapon into the fight! Ash forfeits the fight by default!" The crowd reacted strongly to that, but Ruby ignored them to look down at the girl whose arm she still extended behind her back. Ash as glaring at her, and her moving lips suggested she was saying something, but it was drowned out by the crowd. Releasing her hold with a slight jerk Ruby turned away and started to walk towards Blake.

It appeared that Yang had stayed with the faunus to wrap the cut on her arm to help stop the bleeding. Yang looked furious as she placed a cloth against Blake's bleeding cheek, but her hands were obviously gentle as she wiped the blood away.

Blake looked up from her wrapped arm and met Ruby's hardened silver eyes. Suddenly those amber eyes widened as they looked over the smaller girl's shoulder, and Ruby quickly turned to see that Ash had gotten up and was charging at her with a snarl on her face. Almost unconsciously she readied the knife in her hand as she got into a defensive position. She began to move forward when she heard a shout behind her.

"Ruby, stop!"

* * *

Yang had run out into the arena right behind her sister. When Ruby had run in with a look of pure fury on her face she didn't know what to think until she saw the blood running down Blake's cheek and arm. She had figured out what her sister must have seen from the crowd and decided to leave the new girl to Ruby while she bandaged up her friend. Watching her sister deal with Ash she noticed that her sister was almost cold about the entire thing. Ruby looked furious, but the way she took down the larger girl was a lot different than how she usually handled people. Her moves were meant to cause pain, and she wasn't gentle about it either.

Yang had watched as Ruby declared the fight over and then started to walk towards them. She saw Ash get back up and Ruby turn back around to face her. Then she saw Ruby get a better grip on the handle of the knife in her hand as she raised her arms. Her lavender eyes widened in shock when she realized that her sister was preparing to use a knife- a knife!- in a fight, and she couldn't take it.

"Ruby, stop!"

She realized her mistake at once when Ruby did indeed stop, and turned her head to look over her shoulder. Ash took advantage of her inattention and spun a kick right into the side of the smaller girl's head. With her head already turned in the direction of the kick Ruby fell from the blow and grabbed at her head in pain.

In a distant part of her mind she heard Blake call out to Ruby, but Yang was focused on the girl standing above her sister. She saw the girl swing her leg back to deliver another kick, and Yang sprung forward with a roar and tackled the girl before she could follow through with the hit.

She straddled the other girl on the ground and delivered a few vicious punches right into the girl's face.

"No! One! Hits! My! Sister!" Each word was accompanied by another hit. Ash focused enough to get in her own punch into Yang's side, but the blonde barely registered the hit. They wrestled on the ground for a few moments until Yang suddenly found their positions being switched. Now it was her laying on the ground as the other girl pinned her to the floor.

Her eyes widened when Ash suddenly reached quickly over to the side and grabbed something. Apparently when Ruby fell she had dropped the knife and it had bounced a few feet away. Unfortunately Ash had not missed its new location, and was now holding it in her hand above her head as she prepared to plunge it down. She tried to move her hand to catch the down swinging wrist, but it was unneeded as Ash's wrist was suddenly stopped mid fall.

She looked up and saw Ruby with blood streaming down her face from an open gash in her forehead, the gauze that had been there apparently was ripped away when she was kicked. Her sister had caught Ash's wrist and was now glaring down at her with a cold expression. Purple eyes widened when she saw Blake step up to the other side and grab the girl's other wrist, also with an icy expression.

Together the two girls ripped the other girl off of Yang and pinned her to the ground by her arms. Yang quickly got up and pinned her legs to the ground so she couldn't move. Ruby once again twisted the knife away and threw it to the other side of the arena.

Ash thrashed in their grip, throwing curses at them angrily as she struggled. "Let go of me you big, blonde bitch!"

Before Yang could respond Ruby suddenly slammed her elbow down as hard as she could into the downed girl's sternum. Yang and Blake heard the air leave her lungs with a pained 'oof' and they looked at the silver eyed girl in surprise. Her sister again had a snarl on her face, made all the more fearsome by the blood that continued to run down her face. _Never thought I would think my sister looks intimidating, but even I would be a little nervous if she looked at me like that._

Ruby reached down and gripped Ash's face and forced their eyes to meet. "No one calls my sister a bitch." Amber and purple eyes widened at the pure menace in the smaller girl's voice.

Luckily Ash couldn't talk for a few moments because she was still trying to get air back into her lungs. Yang watched as Oakmont finally showed up with Zeus in tow. The big bouncer quickly came and retrieved Ash from the floor to carry her back to the lounge. Oakmont shot them an irritated glare as they walked past. As they entered the lounge they could hear him begin to address the crowd, all of who had loved the extra bloodshed and drama.

Yang shut the door to block out the sounds and turned to Blake and Ruby, both of whom were doing their best to stop their respective bleeding. She didn't know whose injuries to be more upset about, and she was torn about who to help first. Before any guilt could settle in Ruby turned to her while holding a towel she had grabbed from the bathroom to her forehead.

"Yang, could you get the first aid kit from the medical room?"

Happy to have something to do she hurried to grab the kit and get back to them. Ash had gotten her air back and was back to cursing at them as Zeus kept her restrained in a chair.

Ignoring the girl she walked back over to where her sister and friend waited. Ruby took the kit and quickly soaked a gauze pad with alcohol and pressed it to the still seeping gash. Yang and Blake both winced at the hiss of pain the silver eyed girl let out, knowing very well just how bad rubbing alcohol stung in open wounds. Ruby took a length of bandage out and tightly wrapped it around her head to hold the gauze in place.

"Help me get Blake's cuts cleaned. She might need stitches, and I want to get a look at them quickly."

"Stitches probably won't be necessary." Came Blake's calm voice. She was currently peeling back the makeshift bandages that the blonde had wrapped around her arm before, and Yang grew angry as she saw the long, angry slice that traveled along her lower arm again. Angry that it had happened, and angry that she felt so helpless in this situation. Ruby had been the one to charge in and stop the fight before it got even worse; all she had done was distract her sister so she got hurt, and then almost get stabbed.

She remained quiet as they cleaned the cuts and wrapped them properly. The slice on Blake's face was still oozing blood, but luckily it wasn't that deep and would only leave a minimal scar once healed.

The door to the arena slammed open and the three girls jumped at the sudden sound. Oakmont stomped over to them and just glared down at Ruby with irritation.

"The hell was that Rose?!" He suddenly shouted. She snarled as she stood up and moved in between him and her sister.

"Don't you dare yell at her! She did nothing wrong!"

"I told her last time that she can't just go charging into a match like that! If she had gotten me first I could have called the fight off!" He pointed at the girl still being held by Zeus. "Instead she charges in and kicks that shit bag of a situation until there is a mess I have to clean up!"

She growled in frustration. Oakmont had a point, but she didn't want to admit it and was trying t think of something to say when Ruby spoke up.

"There wasn't time to get you. I didn't know where you were, and that fight needed to stop right then. I wasn't going to let Blake get hurt because I didn't want to piss you off." Silver eyes glared right back at Oakmont in defiance. Ruby had on her business face, but her eyes showed too much anger to be hidden behind that cool mask.

Yang met Blake's eyes and saw that they looked just as concerned as she felt. Ruby had never been afraid to go toe-to-toe with their boss, but this open hostility wasn't like her. Oakmont was obviously about to blast her with his temper when Blake moved closer to the glaring pair.

"Ruby," she said softly as she lightly touched her arm. When silver eyes turned to her questioningly Blake grabbed her head softly and began to turn her head back and forth slightly.

"What are yo-"

"You have a concussion." Yang quickly stepped up and grabbed her sister's hand in concern.

"A small one," Blake continued. "At least I think so. You already had some head trauma today, and I think that kick pushed it."

Yang felt her stomach clench uncomfortably. It was her fault that Ruby had gotten kicked when she was already hurt. She had just been so shocked that her sister would have used that knife when everyone knew that she hated weapons in a fight. There was nothing that could make Ruby lose respect for you faster than sneaking a weapon into a match.

Oakmont let out a heavy sigh as he regarded the three girls in front of him. Yang watched as he visibly tamped down his temper to appear calm.

"Rose you're off duty for the next week." He held up a hand to still her automatic argument. "Two days to recover, and the rest as a sort of suspension." He looked at her as if looking for her agreement.

"Ok," Yang agreed for her sister. She gave Ruby a stern look when the younger girl turned to her. "One week."

He nodded. "Blake also gets a week to heal from those cuts. You shouldn't have been in that situation anyway so take this time to relax."

Yang sighed in relief that Ruby and Blake would get the chance to rest. She was not prepared for bossman to turn to her as well and tell her to take the week off as well. "To make sure those two actually get some rest," is what he said.

Before they left Ruby made it clear that if Ash stayed then there would be problems among the fighters. Oak just nodded and waved them away. "We'll be talking more about this when you get back."

Yang knew that Oakmont was still steamed at them, and that they would be receiving the full brunt of it when they got back. Yang was probably safe for the most part, but she wasn't about to let her little sis take her punishment alone.

They were all quiet on the way home until they reached their apartment doors and Blake turned to them.

"Is it ok if I visit for a bit? I-I have some things I'd like to tell you guys." Her voice was hesitant and soft. Purple eyes met silver in a silent conversation and Yang opened the door without a word for Blake to enter.

Together they made their way to the couch and sat down. Yang sat down and pulled her legs up onto the couch before she reached over and simply plucked Ruby off her cushion and placed her on her lap. She wrapped her arms around her little sister and rested her head on top of Ruby's to look at Blake.

For a few moments the other girl looked so nervous about something that she was shaking. Lavender and sterling eyes regarded her patiently until Blake slowly reached up and undid the bow on top of her head. A pair of cat ears were revealed underneath as the faunus lowered her arms.

"Those are adorable," Yang said with a quick grin before she frowned a bit. "We already knew you were a faunus though, so am I missing something?"

"She's saying she trusts us Yang." Ruby reached up to poke her on the forehead.

"Oooooh, ok got it." She flashed Blake a thumbs up to show that she understood. The cat girl looked at them with a bemused expression and finally let out a small chuckle.

"How is it that you guys can be so simple and so complicated at the same time?"

She gave the faunus a mock glare. "You callin' us simple?" She laughed at her own terrible accent and Ruby reached up to poke her again; this time with a little more force. Ruby and Blake chuckled as Yang rubbed her forehead with a slight pout.

Yang felt something inside of her ease up as the mood lightened. She grinned as she looked at Blake's now exposed cat ears, glad that the faunus trusted them enough to show them. They truly were adorable.

Amber eyes looked down nervously again. "I'm sorry you guys."

Yang looked down at Ruby questioningly. Her sister shrugged, not knowing why the other girl was apologizing. Blake looked up and saw their questioning stares.

"I should have been able to handle that fight no problem. I was distracted and my mind wasn't in the fight. It's my fault you got involved."

"We all made mistakes tonight." Ruby sighed heavily. "That fight should have been easy, regardless of the knife present. What happened tonight was completely out of character for us."

Yang squeezed her sister in a tight hug. "I let my emotions get the better of me. I completely forgot about actually fighting and just threw punch after punch. I was just so angry that I had gotten Ruby hurt."

The guilt was rising again in her stomach when she felt Ruby turn in her arms and wrap her in a tight hug.

"Thank you for stopping me Yang." Her purple eyes widened in surprise.

"I felt so angry that I was about to use a knife on somebody. I don't think I would have forgiven myself for that even if I do think that Ash deserves a taste of her own medicine."

The sisters hugged each other tightly. Yang was content to just sit there and hold her younger sister as they comforted each other, but then Blake cleared her throat softly. They gave her sheepish smiles as they separated and turned to face her.

"I have something else I'd like to tell you. I thought about waiting, but I think it might be better to do it now." Blake took a deep, steadying breath. "What do you know about the White Fang?"

"They're the biggest cult in history that is only for faunus. Authorities like to call them a gang, but it is much more than that." Yang nodded at her sister's words.

"They used to be a harmless group," she continued in place of Ruby. "I think originally they were just supposed to be a safe place for faunus, but over time they have become more aggressive and hostile to anyone not a faunus."

Blake gave a humorless laugh. "Technically you're not wrong. The White Fang was never meant to be a gang, or a cult. It was a simple activist group that tried to help oppressed and abused faunus." She looked down at her hands for a moment before meeting their eyes again.

"I used to be a member." Blake stiffened as she waited for their reactions. After a few moments of silence Yang finally spoke up.

"Welll, we kind of figured that? I mean, why else ask us what we knew about them if you weren't leading up to telling us you were a part of it?" She was confused as it seemed that the amber eyed girl thought she had just dropped a bombshell on them.

She almost laughed as Blake's eyes widened in disbelief and her mouth dropped open. "I just told you I used to belong to a group of highly hostile fanatics, and all you say is 'we kind of figured that'?"

"We're simple." Ruby chimed in with a small laugh.

Blake stared at them again and then suddenly flopped back to rest in the cushions of the couch. "No," she said in a monotone. "You guys are anything but simple, or ordinary."

"We're two kids who work for a crime boss who runs a secret fight ring. We never claimed to be ordinary."

Blake smirked at that. "Guess it's a good thing I'm not ordinary either, huh?"

"Yup."

"Definitely a good thing."

Blake smiled at their assurances and Yang felt her heart warm. The faunus didn't smile easily, and seeing it now made Yang glad that she had a part in putting it on her face.

"I never thought I'd find somebody who would just shrug off the fact that I was basically in a cult. It wasn't like it is now when I was a kid. We were peaceful, our own community of people who just wanted things to be better. Then people began to become angry at the lack of progress, and things just snowballed from there." Blake sighed and the sisters sat there patiently until she was ready to continue.

"It became militant. Someone elected themselves as a leader and everyone just went along with it. Suddenly we were all training on how to fight, taught that if you weren't strong enough to keep up then you would be left behind. There is no place for the weak in today's White Fang. For a long time I believed that this is what we had to do to get equality, but in the end it's all a lie. I left because I didn't want to be like that anymore."

Yang reached out and grabbed the other girl's hand. "There is nothing you can do to make me believe that you were ever like that. Not truly. You're too kind. We know what cruelty looks like, and we don't see it when we look at you."

She saw tears form in those amber eyes at her words, and she wanted nothing more than to pull the other girl into her arms. However, Ruby was till on her lap so she settled for keeping a tight grip on the other girl's hand.

* * *

Blake felt so much relief that she felt tears form in her eyes. Yang's warm hand was holding hers in a tight, comforting grip while Ruby just looked at her with so much acceptance. There was more to tell, but those stories could wait for now.

They all stayed like that in a comfortable silence until Ruby got up from Yang's lap.

"I'm pretty tired you guys. I'm gonna go to sleep, but you guys can stay up and talk if you want." They said their goodnights and then it was just her and Yang left on the couch. Now that they were alone Blake felt slightly self-conscious. She was searching for something to say when Yang grabbed her hand again.

"Thank you for trusting us. I know it probably wasn't easy, and if you are willing to listen I think it is only fair if I share some of my own."

Shocked she squeezed the hand holding hers. "Of course, I'm always willing to listen."

She received a grin for that sentiment, and she simply waited for the blonde to start at her own pace.

"When I was about six years old my mom left me under an overpass and never came back." Blake's eyes widened in shock, but she didn't get the chance to respond before Yang continued.

"She was a druggie, so it's not like I hadn't spent my fair share of nights sleeping in alleys or abandoned buildings. When she left all it really changed was now I got to choose which dirty alley I slept in. I was alone for about a year before Ruby found me."

"Ruby found you?" Blake was a little surprised. She knew the two weren't actually related, but she had always assumed that Yang had taken in the younger girl and not the other way around.

Yang flashed her a sad smile. "She rescued me actually. I…had given up. Sounds so melodramatic for a seven year old, but here I am. I remember just feeling so tired all the time. I spent two days straight just sitting by this garbage can in an alley. Didn't eat anything. Then this little girl wearing ratty clothes came and started to dig through the dumpster across from me. Don't know how she did it, but she managed to find some bread someone had thrown out that wasn't too moldy."

Yang grew a soft, reflective smile. "Street kids are like dogs when it comes to food. You never know when you will find more, and most kids don't even know what the word 'sharing' means. So imagine my surprise when this little girl suddenly walks over to me and offers me some bread. I almost told her to buzz off, but something about her just wouldn't let me say it. Moldy bread had never tasted so good."

Blake almost felt tears come to her eyes again. She could picture it in her mind, two worn down kids sharing some moldy food in a filthy alley. She couldn't believe that these two mostly happy-go-lucky, kind girls started off like that.

"We've been together ever since. I think at the beginning taking care of Ruby was just a purpose I needed to keep moving. Now I can't imagine my life without her."

"You guys were so young. I can't imagine being all alone at that age."

"Yeah, well age is an arbitrary concept anyway. Like just because you got a year older means you can or can't handle certain things." Yang let out a heavy sigh and shook her head.

"A few months later we met Oakmont. He took us in, in a way. Put us to work in his chop shop, which sounds awful, but we got a roof over our heads and consistent meals as pay. We have, obviously, worked for old Oaky ever since."

Blake sat there and processed everything she had heard. Yang hadn't said anything, but living on the streets as a child must have been dangerous. 'We know what cruelty looks like,' the blonde had said. She could only imagine the dozens of little stories that must fit into the broad view story Yang had told her.

The most amazing thing to her was that the sisters were still so kind. Living on the streets and then working for a crime boss, albeit a fairly mild crime boss, did not foster the kind of environment that taught kids kindness. Yang and Ruby had their own issues no doubt about it, but they were compassionate, honorable in their own way, and were just good people. Genuinely good. Blake had never met people like this before, and without even trying, the sisters were changing her world for the better.

She remembered her conversation with Ruby earlier as she looked at Yang. If what the silver eyed girl had said was true then she knew exactly how she wanted to thank the blonde for sharing her story. Looking into bright lilac eyes she felt a small blush make its way to her cheeks, and for butterflies to form in her stomach. Gathering her courage she got to her knees on the couch, which seemed to startle the girl whose hand she was still holding.

"Blake? What's the matt-"

Yang's words were cut off when Blake leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the other girls lips. It only lasted a few seconds, and slowly she pulled back and met a pair of wide, startled eyes with her own softer gaze.

"Thank you for trusting me," she returned the girl's words from earlier. Her face felt hot from her blush, and Yang's face was probably just as red. They stayed like that for a few moments in which Blake started to slightly panic that she had done something wrong and ruined everything. Then Yang suddenly leaned up to give Blake her own brief kiss.

"You're welcome."

* * *

Ruby stared down at her phone in the darkened room. The light from the screen hurt her eyes in contrast to the shadows around her, but she was staring at Weiss' contact in her phone and debated whether or not to send a text.

Finally becoming frustrated with herself she sent a text letting Weiss know that she could see her tomorrow if she wanted to. Putting the phone down she layed her head down on her pillow and waited for the pounding in her head to go away enough to sleep.

She thought back to everything that had happened today and sighed. It had been a bad day, but then Blake had opened up to them. Ruby was pretty sure that Yang would do the same now that she was alone with the amber eyed girl.

She thought about the money she had saved so far, and decided that she was now about a third of the way to earning enough to afford a better apartment away from all this. She had been half way to the amount needed, but that was before tonight. Now she added enough expenses to cover another person. _When we get out of here we're bringing Blake with us._


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello Everyone, long time no see. I really need to explain why I've been gone, and why this chapter isn't as long as I would have liked. For anyone in America I think you might have heard of Hurricane Irma that came through southwest Florida a few weeks back. Well it just so happens that I live in Southwest Florida. As you might imagine a lot of stuff has been going on, and I had no time to write. I also didn't have power for two weeks after the storm, so no laptop time for me. This chapter is shorter than my other chapters, but it's still a decent length at 4500 words. I hope you guys enjoy it, and I really appreciate everyone who reads this and comments how they feel about it. Also if there is anyone else who has been affected by Irma, or now Nate, I hope everything is ok for you and your families.**

 **Shout outs to** **Hellwyrm, Zwei Eis, Fennec9, Ellight1, RedtheWolf2, Vanitas Lunar,GrnDrgnzrd, Stickman6969,FrisbeeDog, BerserkBookWorm, Leone KuRuby, FruitLoopPerson25. Thank you guys so much for reviewing, I'm sorry if I missed anyone. One review mentioned that the Mercury fight didn't fit with the canon story, and I just want to say that while I am trying to stay true to the story as much as possible there are going to be quite a few instances that will not follow canon. For example some characters that are dead in the show will be alive in my story.**

 **Without further ado, onto the story.**

* * *

Weiss waited at the Café Adel for Ruby to arrive. She had been excited when she had woken up to see the text that the younger girl would have some free time to hang out. They had agreed this morning to meet up around 1:30 for lunch, but Weiss had been here for about an hour already to visit with Coco. She had brought her homework with her to do while she waited, and Coco was currently taking pictures of her answers with her phone so she could copy them later.

"If that's Ms. Peach's trigonometry homework I want copies of those pictures!" Velvet called before she entered the kitchen to grab a ready order.

"You got it, babe!" The fashion forward girl calls back, completely ignoring the other people in the café.

Weiss sighs and looks over at her friend while laying down her pencil very deliberately. "So, Coco. Could you explain to me how exactly you and Velvet started dating?"

"Well, it's all thanks to Ruby. She told Velvet to ask me out, then she did, and I said yes."

"…Is it possible to get more details?"

Coco sent her a teasing, mock grin. "I didn't think you would want details on my love life. How bold, Weiss." One eyebrow cocked suggestively.

"You know what I mean!" She gritted her teeth when Coco just laughed at her.

"Ok, ok. So Ruby chases Cardin away from Velvs, and they begin to talk. Velv told me that they started talking and somehow Ruby had figured out that she had a huge crush on me. Ruby told her that she thought that I would say yes to a date if she asked, so Velvet gathered her courage up and asked. I said yes, now here we are." She smiled fondly as the rabbit faunus came out of the kitchen again carrying plates of food to a table on the other side of the room.

"Just like that? Did you have feelings for her before she asked? If you did you never said anything to me about it."

Coco just gives a small smile as she shrugs. " I'm not really sure myself. I still can't decide if this is something new or if this has been developing for a while. When she asked she looked so nervous, but I couldn't help but think how cute she was. Then on the actual date it all just seemed so natural, and I realized she was exactly who I wanted to be with. I'm just letting the feeling grow."

Weiss' eyes widened just a bit. That was actually a lot more than she was expecting from her friend. Coco never really spoke about her own feelings, not like this. This relationship must actually mean quite a bit to her.

"Well, for what it's worth I think you two make a cute couple."

Coco's grin slowly turned into a smirk, and Weiss began to feel uncomfortable at her friend's intense stare.

"Is there…a specific reason you were wondering about my feelings for Velvet? Like, maybe, you were trying to figure out if you might be developing feelings for a certain someone?"

She tensed at the words and battled down a blush as she forced her face to remain neutral. Only Coco could put so much suggestion in a simple question.

"Why would you think something like that?" She applauded herself for sounding genuinely confused.

"Oh, I don't know. Just that for the past few weeks you have only been able to talk about a certain girl in a red hoodie, and now you are looking at the time every five minutes or so as you wait for her to arrive."

She could feel a small blush fight it's way to her cheeks. "That doesn't mean anything. I just don't like it when people are late."

"Yeah, ok. You keep telling…yourself…"

Coco's sentence trailed off as she looked at something over Weiss' shoulder. Even through the sunglasses she could tell that Coco's eyes were open wide. Feeling concerned she turned in her seat and saw Ruby walking towards their table. She felt her stomach clench with worry as she saw the large pad of gauze taped to her forehead, and the dark, ugly bruising spreading out from underneath it.

"Ruby?!" Her voice came out louder than intended and she flinched as she saw the few customers still in the café turn her way. Ruby had stopped at her cry in surprise, but now quickly made her way to the table.

"Weiss? What's wrong?" The younger girl's face was pinched in worry.

"That's my line, you dolt! What happened?! Are you ok?" She kept her voice to a furious whisper this time, gently tugging Ruby down to sit in the vacant chair next to her.

"Do you need anything? Should we take you somewhere?" Coco chimed in, not quite as desperately as Weiss, but still very concerned.

Ruby looked at them, seeming shocked and somewhat confused at their panic. She gave them a small smile, but to Weiss it looked almost strained.

"I'm fine, really. I just had a small…accident at work last night. It just looks really bad because it just happened."

She was skeptical of Ruby's explanation, extremely so. "You're a delivery girl. How do delivery girls get bruises like that while on the job?"

Ruby let out a big sigh while she reached up and rubbed gingerly at her forehead. "Can I tell you later Weiss? I'd rather not talk about it right now."

Weiss and Coco agreed to drop the subject reluctantly, but Weiss was determined to get Ruby talking as soon as they were alone. Velvet came over and predictably panicked at the sight of an injured Ruby. After getting the faunus to calm down Ruby ordered the strawberry pancakes again, and a glass of milk.

Weiss was trying to quickly finish up her homework, but she was stuck on a problem and could not figure out why she was getting it wrong. She was startled when Ruby suddenly pointed to her paper.

"You mixed up your adjacent and opposite lines. You're trying to find the tangent, but you accidently switched the lines so it's 'adjacent over opposite' instead of 'opposite over adjacent'."

She looked at her paper in shock as she realized that she had made such a simple mistake, and then she looked at the younger girl in disbelief.

"You know trigonometry?" Her shock was palpable. Ruby didn't go to school, how could she know advanced math?

The younger girl was scratching the back of her head in what Weiss now recognized as a nervous habit Ruby did when she was uncomfortable with something.

"Well…just basic trigonometry. It's not that hard once you know the formulas."

Coco scoffed and briefly looked at Ruby over the top of her sunglasses. " 'Not that hard' she says. Tell that to the B- I have in the class. I'm barely staying above a C!"

Weiss just nodded her head. While she had an A in the class- of course- she definitely worked harder for that class than she did any other. To have a girl who admitted to never having gone to school point out a mistake she made in her work annoyed her just a bit. Not with Ruby, but with herself. No, now she again felt a burning curiosity as to how the silver eyed girl was educated.

She opened her mouth to question the younger girl, but she saw Ruby gingerly reach up and place her hand over the gauze taped to her head. Weiss felt another stab of concern as she looked at the dark bruising that spread across the other girl's face. _I'm not sure I want to see just how bad it is under that gauze. The bruises are bad enough._

"Are you sure you're ok?"

Ruby waved with her other hand. "I'm fine. I just have a small headache, but it's not too bad."

Having to accept that answer for now the three girls chatted, well more like Coco and Weiss chatted while Ruby mostly listened. Velvet came back a short time later with a plate of what looked like sliced strawberries with some pancake showing through. Weiss looked at the monster plate of food incredulously.

"Velvs, I think you went a little overboard. She asked for strawberry pancakes, not strawberries with a hint of pancake." Coco's voice was filled with humor, and she let loose a little laugh when the faunus's face flushed red.

"Don't listen to her Velvet," Ruby said as she looked at her plate with starry eyes. "If I could have pancakes like this all time I might come here injured more often."

"That is not funny." Weiss frowned at the younger girl. "Getting hurt is not a laughing matter."

"I agree," Velvet chimed in softly. Her hands fidgeted together as her ears drooped slightly. "I don't like it when my friends get hurt."

Ruby went still after the faunus finished speaking. She had a bemused expression on her face, and Weiss and Coco shared a curious glance across the table. She was about to question the girl if there was something wrong when Ruby suddenly let loose a big grin. She felt her breath catch at the younger girl's expression, and despite the gauze and the bruising discoloring most of her features Weiss thought that Ruby looked like the most adorable thing on the planet.

"I don't like it when my friends get hurt either. So, if that big jerk Cardin ever messes with you again just let me know and I'll put him in his place." Smile still in place she dug into her plate of pancakes.

Velvet beamed at the girl as she took her first bite of food before moving away to serve another table. Coco watched her go with a soft smile, and Weiss studied Ruby. She felt like somehow something important had just happened for Ruby, but she couldn't quite figure out what. She had noticed that the other girl seemed far more listless than usual, but had attributed it to her injury. Now she wasn't so sure. Ruby seemed like Ruby again, full of energy and bright eyed. _Now I just need to get her somewhere quiet so I can ask her a few questions._

She waited until Ruby had finished her pancakes and sat back in her seat with a contented sigh before she cleared her throat softly.

"So, Ruby, I was wondering if you would like to come to my house for the rest of the afternoon. No one else is home so it would be just us."

Ruby looked at her in surprise. "U-um, sure! If that's ok then I'd love to."

"Getting rather bold, Weiss. Inviting a girl to your house when no one is home? What will people think?" Coco smirked at her from across the table as her teasing caused a small blush to form on Weiss' cheeks.

"Shut up!" She hissed indignantly. Ruby just laughed at their exchange.

They spent another half hour like that, Coco teasing her while Ruby looked on grinning and laughing like she was watching a comedy. Despite Coco's embarrassing teasing Weiss enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, and she was glad to see that the silver eyed girl seemed to be enjoying herself as well. It felt good seeing the younger girl smile, and it felt even better knowing that she was part of the reason that smile was there. She had never really felt the need to go out of her way to make someone else happy; only Coco, but really only when the other girl was upset. Now she realized that it felt really nice to know that you put a smile on someone's face.

* * *

Ruby looked out of the car window in amazement. Weiss' house was **huge**. She knew that the Schnee family was rich, but not having ever really considered living in something other than a small apartment, she was blown away by the sheer size of the house that money could buy. It was three stories high, solid white with a dark blue painted on the window shutters , and a set of steps leading up to a porch that extends across the entire length of the building.

"How many people live here?!" She couldn't help but ask.

"Right now it's just me and a few live in maids, plus the cook."

Ruby turned to look at her so fast she felt her neck crack, and her head throbbed at the motion. "You have maids?! And a cook?"

Weiss seemed to look at her own house sheepishly. "Is it really that big?"

"Weiss, I live in a one bedroom apartment with my sister. From the looks of it I could fit twenty of my apartments on your first floor."

Ruby got out of the car after that to get a better look at the ground surrounding the house. The driveway hadn't been overly long, she could still see the street from here, but it didn't detract from the fact that it was tree lined. A tree lined driveway. What was this, a movie?

She wandered around for a bit on the front lawn until Weiss called her inside. The inside of the house was even grander than the outside. White marble flooring and crystal were abundant in the décor, giving off the effect that you were walking through an ice cave.

"I think I might need a walkie-talkie in case I get lost," she said as she gaped at the chandelier hanging above them. Weiss just rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"I don't have any walkie-talkies, so this will have to do." She strode over and grasped one of Ruby's hands. Before Ruby could respond she felt a tug on her arm.

"Come on, I'll give you the tour."

Ruby blushed slightly as she was led from room to room, Weiss' hand never letting hers go. She slowly became aware of a loosening sensation in her chest, like a hard knot becoming unraveled as they walked through the large house. The warmth in her hand seemed to spread up her arm and through her body, easing muscles she didn't even know were tense. Even her head seemed to throb less, and she gratefully gripped Weiss' hand slightly.

Walking hand in hand like this was…nice. Really nice. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so relaxed with someone else. They ended the tour at Weiss' bedroom, which was surprisingly colorful compared to the rest of the house. Soft, muted blues covered the walls and the carpet was a dark midnight blue. Lavender curtains covered the windows, and the bedspread was an interesting paisley print in blues, greens, and white.

"I think your whole bed is the size of my bedroom," she said with wry amusement. _Who needed a bed that big?_

"Where do you live, Ruby? You've mentioned it a few times, but I still have no idea where it is."

"It's…in the not so nice part of the bad side of town. It's not much, but it's a roof over our heads and running water." She watched as the white haired girl frowned at her words.

"I hope this doesn't sound rude, but why haven't you guys moved somewhere else? You said both you and Yang have jobs, surely you could afford an apartment somewhere…safer."

She slowly sat on the edge of the bed as she thought of the best way to answer. Distantly she noted how soft the mattress was, but her mind was focused on what exactly to tell the older girl.

"Yang and I…we don't exactly work above the books. Our landlord is also our boss, and our rent is taken right out of our pay. I know that sounds bad!" She waved her hands when Weiss looked incredulous.

"It's not a fair system, but honestly it's more than we could expect anywhere else. We've known Oakmont a long time, and he's not a bad guy. He's just cheap, and also out to survive like the rest of us."

She watches as Weiss walks over and sits on the mattress next to her. The other girl has a serious look on her face, and her glacier blue eyes are clouded over with what looks like concern.

"Do you…need help with money? I'm more than happy to-," "No!"

Weiss jumps at her outburst. She feels slightly bad about shouting, but she has to make something clear.

"I'm not a charity case, I don't need to be taken care of, and I don't want your money. I don't want your pity, and I don't want you to think that you can take care of me." She could tell that her tone might be a little harsher than she intended, but she needed Weiss to understand how she felt about this. Blue eyes looked at her in shock, and maybe a little hurt.

"I don't pity you! I certainly don't think of you as a charity case. It's just I have more money than I know what to do with, so why is it a bad thing if I want to give some to a friend?"

"Well, this friend doesn't want your money. I already have a plan to get Yang and I out of that dump of an apartment. I'm doing just fine."

"But you're not!"

Ruby jolted at Weiss' sudden shout. The older girl had a frown on her face as she regarded her. A pale hand rose to lightly touch the bandaging on her forehead.

"This isn't 'fine', Ruby! I know you're still not telling me everything, and that's ok if you're not ready to talk. Just don't lie to me. Don't tell me you're safe and then show up looking like this."

She was stunned at the amount of emotion the usually icy, unflappable girl was showing. She looked almost…hurt as she waited for her reply, but she didn't know what to say. Hesitating too long caused Weiss to pull her hand away and sigh. Not knowing how to fix this situation Ruby rose from the bed and turned to face the older girl.

Weiss let out a startled squeak when Ruby pulled her off the bed and into a hug. Ruby put her arms around her back and fit her head in the crook of Weiss' shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. She felt as Weiss' arms slowly came up and returned the surprise hug. She relaxed into the embrace, and felt Weiss do the same.

"Ruby?"

"What?"

She felt Weiss hold a little tighter. "Will you tell me what's really going on? How did you get injured?"

She sighed and pulled out of the embrace. She led Weiss back to the bed and sat back down. She looked into concerned blue eyes and took a breath.

"Yang and I work in a place called the Warehouse. It looks like an ordinary seedy bar from the outside, but if you go downstairs it turns into a literal underground gambling den that is strictly for fighting. Yang is a fighter, and I collect bets in the crowd and then deliver the winnings in the morning."

She grimaced at Weiss' wide eyed look. "Before that we worked at Oakmont's chop shop. I would…collect car radios and other electronics, and Yang would help with stripping cars and putting them back together. I would rewire whatever needed work."

She could feel her stomach tightening with each confession, and she had to look away from Weiss when she basically admitted that she was a criminal. "I…can't tell you where, or really why it happened, but the gauze on my head is because I was kicked by someone who had tied metal plates to his shins. I have the next week off work because I have a small concussion."

Silence descended on the room after that, and Ruby could feel her stomach sinking the longer Weiss didn't say anything. When the white haired girl finally spoke up Ruby felt her stomach drop completely.

"So that delivery you made to my father was really money he had won betting on an underage fight ring?"

 _Shit! I forgot all about that!_ "Well- uh, you see it's… uhm, it's not really that bad. Really only Yang and Blake are underage fighters, and they're seventeen. That's not so bad right?"

Weiss just looked at her with an unreadable stare. "Does he go there often?"

"I-I don't know. That was the first time I had seen him personally, but Oakmont talked like they knew each other." She figured if she was going down she would at least be honest along the way.

Silence reigned in the room once again as Weiss sat there looking lost in thought. Ruby felt somewhat lost, and she had the awful feeling that she had just ruined everything. She got up from the bed, not even drawing the attention of the white haired girl still in deep contemplation.

"I'm uh, just gonna go. I- uhh, I can see myself out." She turned quickly and swiftly walked to the door. At this moment all she wanted to do was get out of there and go home. She could already feel the hard feeling of resignation across her shoulders as she wrapped her hand around the doorknob. _I'm so stupid. Why would I tell her all that? I told her I work for a friggin' criminal, and that I'm one as well! I wouldn't want to be around me either if I was her._

"Ruby wait."

She froze. Hesitantly she looked over her shoulder and saw that Weiss still hadn't moved from the bed, but was now looking at her sadly.

"Why are you leaving?"

Her eyes widened. "I thought you wouldn't want me here?" Her voice was slow and cautious.

Weiss just sighed and patted the mattress with her hand. "Come back here and sit down."

Ruby couldn't decipher if Weiss was mad or not as she warily made her way back to the bed. Cautiously sitting on the bed once again she was completely startled when the older girl suddenly wrapped her arms around her and they both fell so they were laying on their sides.

"I'm sorry," she heard Weiss say next to her ear. Very slowly she put her own arms around the other girl.

"For what?" Weiss just shakes her head silently and continues to hold her. Still not sure what exactly is going on Ruby tenses slightly.

"Are you…mad?"

She felt Weiss move back, and in a moment she was looking into bright blue eyes again. "No. I think I feel more sad than anything. I wish that you didn't have to live the life you do, and I wish that my father didn't support it in any way."

A hand once again rose to touch the bandages that covered her forehead. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Mostly just bruising and stuff like that."

"Are you sure there isn't anything I can do to help you?"

She reached up and grabbed the hand that had been resting at her head. Gripping it gently she met Weiss' stare. "Just…don't go away."

Blue eyes widened at her words, and she felt a small blush stain her cheeks. She was about to stutter out an apology for saying something so stupid when the grip on her hand tightened.

"After all the work I've put in to become your friend you can't get rid of me that easily."

She choked out a laugh at the unexpected teasing. She dissolved into relieved giggles and pressed her forehead against Weiss'. Opening her eyes she gazed softly into the clear blue eyes so close to hers.

"You know Weiss, I think I really like you."

Blue eyes went wide when Ruby leaned in and placed a small, chaste kiss on her cheek. Blushing furiously Weiss gave her a soft shove.

"What are you doing you dunce?!"

Ruby just laughed as she felt another knot in her stomach ease away.

* * *

Ozpin sighed as he got back into his rented car. Atlas was already dreadfully cold for the season, and he was quick to turn on the heater full blast. With his business finally done with he now had time to focus on something that had been edging its way into his thoughts for a few weeks now. A small, young girl with bright, silver eyes. He sighed.

He was absolutely certain that the girl he had met was indeed the missing daughter of his old friends. What he was not certain of was how to handle this particular situation. Summer and Taiyang were unreachable at the moment, and Ozpin was already booking a hotel in Patch so that he would be close by when they arrived home. He wasn't sure how they would handle the news that the daughter they had all thought was gone was alive and well in Vale. They would have questions for him that he simply didn't have, and he looked down at his phone with consideration.

After a brief hesitation he pulled up a contact he hadn't called in almost three years. A raspy voice picked up after the fourth ring.

"Qrow, it's Ozpin. I hope you're sitting down because I have some rather shocking news for you."

"What do you mean, Oz?"

"Ruby Rose is alive, and she's in Vale."

He pulled the phone from his ear as a loud clattering noise came through. It sounded as if Qrow had dropped his phone. After a few seconds of nothing but shuffling noises and muffled curses, Qrow's voice finally came through.

"How is that possible?! Are you absolutely sure Oz?"

"Unless there is another young girl who looks just like Summer and goes by the name Ruby Rose, then yes I am absolutely sure."

"Where is she? Has she said anything about where she's been?"

He sighed heavily. "Unfortunately I did not get a chance to speak with her beyond getting her name before she ran away. I don't know where she is currently, but I think I might know of someone who does. That's why I'm calling you, old friend. I need you to find her."

He looked down sadly as he remembered the years that he had helped Summer search for her daughter in vain. His eyes narrowed determinedly.

"This time we're going to bring her home."


	12. Chapter 12

**I SURVIVED THE FALL SEMESTER! *curls up into fetal position and cries***

 **Long time no see everyone. I missed you guys! This past semester was crazy busy, and that's why you haven't heard from me in a while. I want to apologize to the people who messaged me and I told them it would only be a few more days until the next chapter, but it's been a week instead. I'm sorry! This chapter took forever. First off the original copy got deleted, then I changed things as I re-wrote it, then I didn't like the changes and changed them again, and then I didn't like the ending! I finally just decided that I would post what I have and I could edit anything later rather than keep you guys waiting any longer.**

 **Thank you everyone who messaged me, and thank you guys for still being interested in the story. I hope you guys like the update- despite it only being 5,000 words long.**

* * *

Weiss lightly ran a finger across the outer edge of the bandage on Ruby's head. The younger girl had fallen asleep not long after their conversation, and Weiss couldn't bring herself to wake the sleeping girl when she looked so peaceful. She frowned as she lightly traced the bruising on Ruby's face. She couldn't believe that the fifteen-year-old could just shrug off such an injury; one she claimed was caused by getting kicked by someone with metal attached their legs. _What kind of person would even think to do something like that?_

She didn't know how to deal with all the information Ruby had given her. Ruby and her sister have led a far more dangerous life than Weiss would have thought. She didn't blame the sisters for anything they had done- illegal or otherwise- if it meant surviving, but how much longer could they really live like that? Yang was already seventeen, and could be tried as an adult for any so called crimes she was caught committing. Technically being a fighter in an illegal gambling den wasn't illegal in and of itself, but if the authorities ever raided the place and she was caught Weiss doubted things would work out all that well.

Ruby's position was just as bad. Carrying large amounts of money every day made the chance of being caught even higher. The younger girl's speed made a lot more sense now. She probably had to run as fast as possible to help avoid being caught. Her fighting ability made a lot more sense now as well. The most troubling thought was that Ruby had learned all of her skills out of necessity.

Weiss pulled her hand away and gently sat up on the bed. She looked around the room; at all the stuff she had not because she earned it, but because she just happened to be born a Schnee. She never had to work for anything; not the basic things that everyone took for granted. Looking at the smaller girl asleep on her bed, with bruises on her face, and a sleepy smile- Weiss felt so incredibly lacking in comparison. Ruby Rose was by far the most incredible person she had ever known.

She silently got up and moved to her desk. She would let Ruby sleep for a while so she could try and do some more research into Ruby's family. If she could find out what really happened then maybe she could get Ruby and Yang out of this life. She had her own suspicions about Yang's family, and if she could prove them right then they were sisters in more ways than one.

She spent the next hour or so reading through all the same material she had found on Ruby's missing child case. She rubbed her temples as a headache threatened in frustration. Scouring the articles over and over again yielded nothing new, but the only other way she was going to get new information was from Ozpin who was still away.

A sudden ringing sound caused her to jump. Quickly shutting the laptop lid she turned just as Ruby groaned awake and pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Yaaaang, what do you want?" The younger girl yawned and blinked blearily as she looked around the room. Weiss moved to sit beside her again on the bed as the brunette took her call.

"I fell asleep, and Weiss didn't wake me up." Ruby pouted at her, but Weiss refused to feel bad about letting the other girl rest.

"No Yang…seriously? Are you or are you not on a date with Blake?" Weiss blinked in surprise. _Yang…and Blake? I know I only met the girl once, but Blake seems far too reserved to suit the loudmouth blonde. So if they are together…does that mean that Ruby is ok with…Not that I want to know for any particular reason! I'm just…curious…about her feelings. Feelings on the subject in general, not anything specific…_

It was only until a hand began to wave in front of her face that Weiss realized that Ruby was trying to get her attention.

"Weiss! You ok in there?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm sorry. What is it?" She cleared her throat as she heard the slight nervous cracking sound in her voice.

"Yang invited us to hang out with them for a bit. If you don't mind going out again."

"That sounds nice actually. If we're not intruding on their date, that is." Ruby shook her head at that.

"Nah, she already said it's cool." She put the phone back up to her ear. "Yeah we can meet you guys somewhere…How about Verde Park? It's not too far from either of us…Ok, see you then."

Weiss insisted on driving them there, still concerned about the smaller girl's concussion. Ruby needed as much rest as possible, and physical activity should be kept to a minimum.

Weiss followed Ruby's directions to an old park that was on the edge of becoming forgotten. Younger children played on an old jungle gym that was starting to show more rust through the bright colored paint, and there was the squeak of rusty hinges sounding from the swing set. The surrounding grounds were only slightly overgrown and dotted with aging picnic benches. Weiss thought back and couldn't recall what any parks she had visited as a child had been like, but knowing her father she doubted they had been like this. She certainly didn't remember ever having to play in faded brown mulch.

"They're all barefoot," she couldn't but comment as she looked around. "Don't they worry about getting splinters?"

Ruby turned questioning silver eyes to her. "You never played in the mulch barefoot?" She shook her head.

"Oh, well any splinters you might get from mulch are usually big enough to get out yourself. Plus, most of these kids probably only have one pair of shoes, so they don't want to wear them down too fast by wearing them all the time. I remember I didn't have shoes for almost a whole month once before Yang found a pair someone had donated to a shelter that were about my size."

Weiss didn't know how to respond to that, and thankfully it didn't appear that Ruby expected one. The brunette spotted her sister a second later and rushed over to a tree where the blonde and Blake were sitting. She followed behind slowly. Why does everything she tell me break my heart in some way or another?

Coming up upon the trio she found Ruby grinning at her sister, who was pouting as Blake laughed silently into her hand.

"What did I miss?" Ruby turned to her with a chuckle.

"I asked Blake how she liked the food at Bumble Bees."

Weiss was confused why that statement would cause the reactions she had seen, and Blake took up the explanation for Ruby.

"She didn't know where we were going, but apparently Yang is so predictable that Ruby accurately guessed almost our entire date. Even down to how Yang tried to tell me the place was really 'buzzing' or that the food was the 'bees knees'." Blake rolled her eyes a little as Ruby chuckled.

"It's funny!" Yang glared slightly at the two girls. "Those were fantastic jokes, but I guess it takes only true genius to appreciate them."

Weiss smiled as they proceeded to all poke fun at each other. She didn't join in much, not used to such interactions, but she was content to just sit and listen. If she didn't know about the sisters past she never would have guessed that they lived the lives they did. She could only guess at Blake's story, but was sure it was no less complicated than the sister's. She glanced around at the children running around and wondered just how many of them were living a life in a similar situation. If she had never met Ruby, never gotten to know her, she wasn't sure she would have ever given a second thought to kids in the 'lower' sections of Vale.

That's what her father always said. Phrases like 'lower classes' and 'baseborn' peppered her childhood. Looking back she now realized that her whole upbringing was based on getting her to believe that she was somehow inherently 'better' than others. She was 'upper class' and 'highborn'. She was Weiss Schnee; before she met Ruby that had meant something. At least she had thought it did.

Now that she knew a little bit more about her father, understood more of his mindset, she just wanted a way to not be a Schnee.

* * *

Qrow Branwen lifted his small, metal flask to his mouth; groaning a second later when he found it empty. He set it down with a dull thud on his aged desk and leaned back in his chair. Sighing in disappointment he turned his gaze back to the piece of paper that had a name and phone number written down on it. _Weiss Schnee._

Normally he wouldn't think he was the kind of person to judge someone before ever meeting them, but most people weren't _Schnees_.

Somehow the Schnee girl was connected to Ruby Rose, the girl he had been trying to find for what felt like a lifetime. He had given up hope of ever finding her, had only really kept up the search because Taiyang and Summer needed him to. To hear that she was alive and well in Vale was like a miracle, and he had always been wary of miracles. Very few times in his life had things gone his way, but if Ozpin was so sure that this girl was really Ruby then he needed to see for himself.

If only he didn't have to deal with a Schnee to do it. The father was the very definition of corrupt, the eldest daughter a tightwad daddy's girl, and as far he was concerned the youngest children couldn't be any better. He had dealt with Winter Schnee a few times, and sometimes he thought there might be hope for her; except she always ran to Papa Schnee if he called. He really didn't want to deal with another Schnee kid.

He stood up from his desk to pace around the tiny office. Running his fingers through his dark, unkempt hair he tried to focus on the most important part of all this. Ruby Rose was alive, and she as close. Maybe if he just picked up the damn phone and called the number he would get to see her again; get to make good on that promise he made to his best friends years ago to bring her back to them.

But what if it wasn't her?

That's what he was truly afraid of. Ozpin made a good argument that there couldn't be many kids running around looking exactly like Summer with the name Ruby, but what if it truly wasn't her? After so long he had convinced himself that Ruby was gone for good, maybe even dead. Every police officer knew that in the case of missing children if the child wasn't found within the first forty-eight hours then the chances of finding that child alive and well dropped dramatically. Having her show up after ten years would be too good to be true.

After a few more minutes of his internal struggle he walked over and picked up his phone. If he could do anything for his friends then he would like to be able to return one of their children to them.

* * *

Ruby let her mind drift as she lay on the grass in the park with the sun on her face. It felt good to relax, not having to worry about being somewhere or doing something. She smiled as she heard Weis laugh at something Blake had just said; probably something at Yang's expense if the grumbling she heard from her sister was any indication.

She almost felt normal like this. Like she, Yang, and Blake were all just regular kids hanging out with a friend on a nice afternoon. Right now they weren't street kids, and Weiss wasn't filthy rich. She knew the feeling wouldn't last so she was determined to enjoy every second of it.

Suddenly there was a tap on her shoulder. Blinking in the bright sunlight she sat up with a groan.

"Hmm?"

"I think your bandage needs changed. It looks like some blood is starting to seep through." It was Blake, whose Amber eyes were looking at her with concern. Yang and Weiss now looked worried, blue and purple eyes reflecting worry back at her.

"She's right lil' sis. That gauze is starting to look a little pink."

"Should that even still be bleeding? Perhaps we should take her to a doctor."

She held up her hands. "Weiss, I'm fine. Head wounds bleed a lot, so a little blood is nothing to be concerned about. Besides I'm more concerned with how Blake's stitches are doing. I didn't get a chance to look at them today."

She saw Weiss look Blake over, but the bandages were hidden under the faunus's long sleeved shirt.

"Stitches?"

Blake grimaced slightly. "They're fine, Ruby. I checked them before we left the apartment. I still think we should go back and get some more gauze for that."

She sighed as Weiss' attention returned to her bandaging. She had been hoping to steer the conversation away from herself, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

"But it's so nice here," she whined. "We'd have to leave to either go home, or buy some from a store. It's not that big anyway so it should be fine for a little while."

She saw Weiss' eyes narrow slightly before they turned to look at Yang and Blake. "Why do I get the feeling that 'not that big' is an understatement of her injury? I mean she says she got it from som-." "WEISS!" Ruby interrupted quickly. She hadn't told Weiss that Yang didn't know the real reason she hurt her head!

The other girls flinched at her slight shriek, especially Blake. "It's really not that bad, so you shouldn't really concern yourself with it. I mean you should see Blake's cut, it goes all the way own her forearm. Yang has some serious bruising on her sides that you should see. They're all purple and black and painful looking."

She scratched the back of her head as the other three girls looked at her like she had gone nuts. She frantically searched for something else to say, but just before it looked like Weiss was about to say something her phone rang in her pocket. Ruby sighed in relief at the unexpected save.

Weiss looked down at her phone and frowned for a second before suddenly her eyes widened in shocked recognition. The older girl stood up quickly and excused herself to take her call. Ruby watched her walk a few feet away before she felt a small shiver go down her back. Apprehensively she turned to look at her sister, who had her arms crossed in front of her chest and was glaring slightly.

"Want to tell me what that was all about, little sis?"

Ruby almost whimpered. Yang's voice was far too calm, which meant she was really angry. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that you freaked out the second Weiss started to talk! I heard what she said before you interrupted her. You told her how you got that cut on your head, but didn't want her to say anything around me; which tells me you must have been doing something you know I won't approve of!" Her sister was visibly gritting her teeth in anger.

Blake placed her hand on Yang's shoulder. "We're just concerned about you getting hurt. If you keep getting hurt because you're stuck in a bad situation then maybe Yang just wants to help. Right, Yang?"

Lavender eyes turned to look into concerned yet stern amber. The blonde took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Yeah, yeah. I just want to help, Rubes. Why can you tell Weiss and not me?"

Ruby didn't know how to respond. She had never seen her sister calm down so fast and right now he didn't know how to handle a calm Yang. She also realized that by telling Weiss and not her she had inadvertently hurt Yang's feelings. Now she felt doubly guilty.

"I just…I'm fine." She clasped her hands together tightly. She knew her sister would pursue this, she just didn't know what to say anymore.

"Rubes, we've been over this. You're not fine. I didn't say anything last night, but you almost used a knife on somebody last night. You never condone weapons in fights. You're changing Ruby, you act like you're not but you are. I don't like it, and I still don't understand what you told Weiss that you can't tell me."

She just shook her head. She didn't say anything because she knew her sister was true to a degree. Cinder had mentioned it too, she was becoming angrier. More like she was becoming more tired with her life, and she was becoming too tired to deal with her emotions better.

"Do you still think about getting away from Oakmont and the Warehouse? About getting a nicer apartment and a real job?" Yang's eyes widened at her questions. Blake raised an eyebrow, never having heard about this before.

Ruby knew the answer though. Yang had stopped thinking about getting out of their life, no longer thought it was possible. She had never confronted her about it, but that was how she had formed the idea to become a fighter for Cinder. She wouldn't give up on it, and she didn't want Yang to be a fighter any more than Yang wanted her to be one.

"Ruby…I know we always used to talk about it, but how is that even possible for us? We always said we'd get real jobs, but how? We have no marketable skills, no education; if we try to leave we'll have no address to put down on a resume. I just think that we have to look at this realistically. At least with Oakmont we have a way to make a living, and a roof over our heads."

Ruby felt a spark of anger, and she decided to not tamp it down. "Some life! Make a living? For what? We don't have anything! You think I'm stuck in a bad situation? We're already stuck in a bad situation!" She gestured to include Blake in that statement. "I'm tired, Yang. I'm just tired."

With that she laid down on the ground and rolled so her back was to them.

* * *

Weiss frowned at her caller I.D, not recognizing the number but thinking there was something familiar about it. Suddenly she remembered that she had dialed this number before.

"I have to take this, I'll be right back."

Leaving the three girls where they were she moved walked so she was out of earshot before answering the call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Weiss Schnee?" She remembered that raspy voice quite clearly, especially how it had hung up on her.

"It is, Mr. Branwen. How can I help you?" She let a bit of the irritation she felt seep into her voice, and took some satisfaction that there was a startled pause on the other end of the line.

"How did-""I've contacted you before Mr. Branwen. You hung up on me, and all I was doing was asking questions about Ruby Rose's family."

The silence stretched longer this time until finally a heavy sigh sounded through the phone. "Well shit," he said softly. She blinked in surprise. "Look, I'm sorry about that Ms. Schnee. Is it ok if we talk about Ruby now?"

Weiss felt her heart rate pick up a bit. Was she finally going to get some answers about Ruby's past?

"Yes, that would be fine. I have a few questions I would like answered myself."

"Of course. First can I just ask that you do actually know Ruby Rose? Ozpin said that you did, but until now I didn't really believe him."

"Yes, I do. In fact, I am spending some time with her right now. She is only about fifteen feet away."

"What does she look like?" She raised an eyebrow at the question, but decided it was a valid one to determining Ruby's identity.

"She is very petite, about 5'2 with short, dark hair with red tips. Her eyes are silver."

"She sounds just like Summer." She thought his voice sounded a little thick with emotion, but she didn't comment on it.

"I've looked into this myself, and from what I can see she looks almost exactly like Summer did in high school."

"Where has she been? Is she in trouble, and she can't contact anyone?"

She frowned. A small part of her had dreaded that her family hadn't looked as hard as they said they did, but he sounded so concerned she couldn't think that was the case.

"She thinks her family abandoned her." "WHAT?!"

She winced and pulled the phone away from her ear at his shout.

"Why does she think that?! We've looked for her for years!"

"Maybe because her father left her sitting behind a dumpster for three days and never came back!" She snapped into the phone. She may not know the whole story, but she was working off of Ruby's memories and she was not happy about what she knew.

"She doesn't know she was looked for, all she knows is that she was afraid and alone in a dirty alley for three days when she was five years old!"

"We have to talk to her, explain what really happened. Do you think I could get to see her? To try and convince her to see her family?"

"I don't think she'll be too receptive of that considering how she literally ran away from Ozpin. She wants nothing to do with anyone who knows her from before."

She heard him curse softly under his breath.

"Look, Mr. Branwen I am very interested in hearing what really happened for myself before I try and convince Ruby of anything. I should get back to her since she is waiting, but is there a time that we could talk again?"

He sighed heavily. "Yeah, if you want you can come down to my office anytime. I've cleared my schedule since Oz called so I'm free basically all day."

She confirmed his address and hung up. She breathed in deeply before turning around to rejoin the three girls still under the tree. She came up to them but found them all silent, and Ruby had her back turned to the other two.

"Is everything ok?"

Ruby sat back up to meet her eyes. "Yeah I'm just really tired. I think I'm gonna head home to get some rest."

She couldn't help but feel a small pang of disappointment, but if Ruby wasn't feeling well she would prefer she get some rest anyway.

"Ok, do you need a ride home?"

"Nice try Weiss. I'll walk."

"Text me when you get home then to let me know that you're ok."

The younger girl nodded before turning and walking down the street. She watched until the younger girl was out f sight before turning to the other two who had still yet to say a word.

"I'm surprised you two let her go off alone. What happened while I was on the phone?"

The blonde seemed to collect herself quickly and leaned back on her arms. "Nothing happened, snowflake. Ruby and I don't have to do everything together."

Weiss and Blake shared an unimpressed stare at the blonde's words.

"Yang and Ruby are having a small fight. They should get over it by tonight." Blake ignored the blonde's glare.

"She's keeping something from me Blake. We don't keep secrets from each other, and she won't let me help her when she is obviously doing something that is hurting her. If she doesn't want my help, then fine!"

"Is this about you guys working at a secret fight club thing for Oakmont?"

The two girls turned startled eyes to her and she fidgeted nervously.

"Ruby told me a bit about what you guys do, like you two are fighters and she delivers winnings from bets."

Yang frowned heavily and huffed. "Well she seems to have no problem telling Weiss everything. Guess it's just me."

"Yang you know it isn't like that. I get the feeling that whatever Ruby is doing is really important to her, and I bet she's afraid that you won't approve of it. For right now we just have to wait for Ruby to come to us."

Weiss nodded as Blake finished. "There are still plenty of things that Ruby hasn't told me. I don't know what you think she told me and not you, but she still keeps a lot to herself."

Yang got a thoughtful look on her face before slowly nodding. "One question. What did Ruby tell you about that cut on her forehead?"

"Well, she said she was kicked by someone who had metal plates attached to his shins. The force split the skin on her forehead…and…" She trailed off as Yang got an absolutely murderous look on her face. The blonde jumped to her feet.

"Who was it?!" Yang seethed. "I'll kill'em, whoever they are. They don't know what they just got themselves into."

Blake grabbed ahold of Yang's arm and tried to calm the enraged girl down. Weiss realized that Yang hadn't known what happened, and that was why Ruby had freaked out when she almost mentioned it before.

"Yang, she didn't give a name or anything. You now know as much information about it as I do."

Yang stood there breathing heavily, obviously trying to reign in her temper. Finally calming down somewhat she sat back down and put her head in her hands.

"I just don't know why she won't talk to me. It sounds like she's into something worse than she has led me to believe, and I don't know why."

Weiss didn't know how to comfort the other girl, honestly would feel uncomfortable even trying to. She would leave that for Blake to do.

After Yang had calmed down a bit more they all decided to go home. Some awkward good-byes ensued, and they went their separate ways. Weiss drove back to her house in a thoughtful haze. She had a lot think about how she was going to mention Yang to Qrow when she met up with him. She knew that Ruby would never agree to meet her family if Yang wasn't somehow involved, and Weiss was still about 80% sure that Yang and Ruby were actually related. Xiao Long was not a common last name, and given that Ruby's father's name was Tai _yang_ it would be a really big coincidence it they weren't related.

Arriving back at home she immediately moved to her bedroom. She heard the ding of a text on her phone, and saw that it was Ruby making good on her promise to contact her when she got home. She sent a quick text back to say thank you, and to invite Ruby over to her house again. Ruby responded quickly that she would love to come over again, and Weiss felt a small rush of relief that she would get to see the younger girl again so soon.

Weiss was finally getting to a point where she could admit to herself that Ruby might mean more to her than just a friend. She had feelings for the younger girl she had never felt with anyone else, and she didn't know what to do about it. Sometimes she thought that Ruby might feel the same way about her, but then she would tell herself that she was wrong. She was so conflicted. Maybe once all of the mysteries about Ruby's past were cleared up, if the younger girl reunited with her family, and if she could gather up her courage enough she would approach Ruby with her feelings. Until then she was determined to just enjoy all the moments that they had together.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everyone, loooong time no see. Sorry about that. Finally finished this new chapter; it's mostly conversations and plot. We finally meet Taiyang and Summer in the story. Given that we don't actually know Summer's personality I tried to make her a calmer, more mature Ruby. Taiyang can be kind of goofy.**

 **Also, it has been a whole year since I started writing this fic. I can't believe it, it went by so fast. I'm hoping that the long wait between chapters recently has detracted from the story at all, and I hope the characters are consistent at least. I've been working on another novel that I have been kind of writing for a while now. I'm hoping I can finish it over the summer and actually start sending it to publishers.**

 **Well enough about me; I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. You shouldn't have to wait so long for another now that school is over, and my emotional state is a bit more stabilized lol.**

* * *

Weiss walked in to the non-descript building with anticipation. The decal on the glass front door had marked this as the office for Branwen Investigations, and she was anticipating finally getting some answers. Ruby started back to work today after having the week off to rest, and Weiss finally had time to head to the PI office to have that chat with Qrow Branwen. Ruby had come over to her house every day after school, and while she loved spending time and getting to learn more about Ruby herself, she was impatient to discover what had happened all those years ago when Ruby claims she was abandoned.

She knocked on the door with Qrow's name on it and waited until a gruff voice called out for her to enter. Opening the door she found the ex-cop stooped over his desk staring down at countless pieces of paper strewn across his desk. He turned towards her as she entered and motioned towards a vacant chair.

"Ms. Schnee, thanks for coming to talk to me about Ruby. I was just going through everything I have on her case." He gestured briefly at the completely covered surface.

"Of course, Mr. Branwen. I also have some questions that I am hoping you can answer about her as well."

"Just call me Qrow, please. I'm not even sure where to start asking questions." She watched as he tiredly sank into his chair across from her. His eyes appeared bloodshot and his hair looked as if he had run his fingers through it multiple times. "I've gone through everything, double checked everything. I can't believe she's been in Vale this whole time and I never found her."

Weiss cleared her throat briefly. Before she revealed anything she had a few questions she needed answered first.

"I've only known Ruby a short time, but I care for her a lot. I think I need to hear how exactly she got separated from her parents first before I answer any questions." He nodded before he tilted his head back in a heavy sigh.

"Ruby's father and I used to be on the force together. I worked undercover mostly, and Tai was a detective. He had been investigating a local crime syndicate for years, and it seemed like he was finally close to gathering enough evidence to take the whole thing down. Crimson Fall- the head of the group- hired some hitmen to take Tai down before he could formally charge him with anything. Tai had taken Ruby out for dinner when the hitmen chose to attack." Her eyes were wide at the retelling of events, the whole scenario sounding like something from a movie.

"Tai says that he tried to out run them, but with Ruby there he couldn't. He hid her in an alley and told her he would come back, but Fall's men got to him first. Luckily he had called me while on the run and I was able to get there before they could finish the job." Qrow closes his eyes briefly and takes a big breath before exhaling in a big sigh.

"He was unconscious for almost a week from his injuries, and none of us knew where he had put Ruby, and she wasn't there when he finally woke up. I don't think Tai has ever forgiven himself for not being there for her."

Weiss absorbed everything she had just heard. Her heart felt heavy with hearing the circumstances that lead to Ruby believing she had been abandoned. She looked at Qrow and decided that she believed everything he had said, and she was determined to getting Ruby back to her family.

"Ruby says she waited three days behind a dumpster before she left. She never mentioned being chased so I don't think she remembers that part. All she knows is that her father told her he would be back, and he never showed up."

Qrow flinched slightly at those words. "We need to talk to her, tell her what really happened. Tai and Summer haven't been the same since she disappeared; we have to reunite them."

She nodded in agreement, but her brow furrowed in thought. "It's going to be tough getting her to agree to meet them. She's convinced that her family left her, and she did run away when Ozpin seemed to know her. How is he involved in all this anyway?"

"He's an old friend of ours. Tai, Summer and I all went to Signal Academy when we were younger and he was the principal. He helped us decide what we wanted to do with our lives, and he always seems to know just how to resolve a situation. He was a part of the initial search for Ruby, and I believe he has continued to search for her all on his own as well."

Weiss couldn't believe that Ruby had had so many people looking for her for so long and had remained undetected. She posed that very question to Qrow, about how they couldn't find her for ten years.

"My best guess is that she was somewhere where she didn't go outside too often, and when she did she must have only interacted with a few people. We had the search spread out to cover all of Vale, and we even sent a small search past the city just in case. I think we would have to ask Ruby exactly how she didn't know anyone was looking for her. She was all over the news for several weeks."

Weiss nodded as that sounded plausible from what Ruby had told her of her childhood. "I really only have one more question. What is Taiyang's first daughter's name?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "You know about that?"

"It was part of a news article, they had mentioned that Ruby was the second child that Taiyang had had go missing."

He ran his fingers through his hair as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "It was actually more of a parent kidnapping case. My sister…used to be married to Tai, and they had a daughter. We don't know exactly what happened, but one day Raven left and took their daughter with her. We never saw Raven or Yang again." He hung his, but Weiss could see the sadness in his eyes. _This family has lost so much time. I hope that I can convince Yang and Ruby to take a chance on family again._

She cleared her throat lightly. "Well, I think I have some great news for you then. For the past ten years Ruby has been living with a girl who was also supposedly abandoned by her parents. A tall girl with blonde hair, lilac eyes, and goes by the name Yang Xiao Long."

She smiled just a bit as his eyes became impossibly wide.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

Ozpin knocked lightly on the door of the log cabin in front of him. Summer and Tai had finally returned home, and he had come over as soon as he could. He had spoken briefly with Qrow earlier in the week and had been told that he was scheduled to meet with Ms. Schnee about Ruby. He sighed as he thought about how he was going to break the news to his friends that they had found their daughter, but she thought they abandoned her. Hopefully Qrow would get more information and they could formulate a plan from there to reunite the family.

The door opened and he was met with the smiling face of Summer Rose. Having recently met Ruby he could see even more clearly just how much like her mother she looked.

"Ozpin! It's so good to see you!" She quickly wrapped her arms around him in a firm hug that he gladly returned with a chuckle.

"It's been far too long, Summer. I hope you have been well."

She waved her hand and assured him that both she and Tai had been doing fine since they last saw each other. She led him to the cozy living room where Taiyang greeted him with the same enthusiasm as Summer. He took a seat on the dark green sofa across from the couple.

"So what brings you by Oz? I can't remember the last time you visited us like this."

He rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together while he regarded them. "I think you both might want to have a seat for this." Eyebrows were raised, but they both sat and waited expectantly.

He took a deep breath. "We found Ruby."

Tai and Summer both inhaled sharply, instantly they clasped their hands together as tears began to form in their eyes. Summer turned to him with a look of growing dread on her face.

"Is…is she…" Ozpin quickly raised his hand as Summer tried to stammer out her question.

"She's alive. I only saw her briefly, but she seemed quite healthy at the time."

Tears began to fall down both of their faces as they absorbed the information that their daughter was alive. Their shoulders slumped with relief, and small smiles showed through their tears. Ozpin could only imagine what it must have been like for them to be prepared to hear that their daughter was dead, but to be met with the information that she was alive and well instead. They sat there for a few minutes and just absorbed the knowledge that their daughter was alive.

Tai turned to him with a teary smile. "Well where is she? We have to go get her!"

Ozpin sighed softly and gestured for his friends to remain calm.

"She is in Vale, but it might be difficult to actually meet with her." They appeared puzzled by that, and turned their full attention on Ozpin.

"What do you mean?"

"The only time I got to speak to her she ran away from me. It is only because of her friend that we have learned anything about her. In fact, Qrow should be meeting with the girl today to discover anything else."

He took a steadying breath. "It might be difficult to get close to Ruby because it appears she believes that you abandoned her on the streets that night ten years ago."

Tai visibly flinched, and Summer's hand squeezed his even tighter as they both grew pained expressions. It had always been a fear that Tai had; that his daughter would think that she wasn't wanted because he hadn't been able to get back to her. They had discussed it over the years; both of them wishing that wherever their daughter was that she didn't feel unwanted. To have that fear confirmed hurt them deeply.

"We have to see her and explain what happened," Tai said somberly. " **I** have to explain. I need to tell her how much I regret not being able to go back to her."

Ozpin merely nodded his head. "Qrow should be contacting me soon with news about how his meeting went. Ruby has made quite the unexpected friend, and one who seems to want to reconnect you all again as well."

Summer leaned forward a bit. She was more than eager to hear anything about her daughter. "What kind of friend does she have? I want to know the kind of people that are around Ruby."

He gave them a small, wry smile. "Your daughter has befriended none other than one Ms. Weiss Schnee."

There was a pause, and then two voices cried out. "SCHNEE?!"

He chuckled at their outburst. Summer turned to him fully. "You mean Schnee as in _Schnee?_ Richest family in Remnant Schnee?"

"That is correct," He said drily as he found Summer's expressions increasingly amusing. Tai still looked a bit stunned. Just then his phone began chirping loudly from his pocket. Quickly pulling it out he is very pleased to see Qrow's name on the screen. Signaling to his two companions he answers and places the phone on speaker. Before he can get a greeting out the phone sounds with Qrow's raspy voice.

"Oz, you're not going to believe this! Ms. Schnee says that Ruby has been with Yang almost this whole time! We've found both of them!"

Taiyang jolted out of his seat and stared wide-eyed at the phone on the coffee table. "Qrow," he choked out. "Are you sure?"

They heard Qrow faintly through the phone as he told someone to describe Yang. A clear, feminine voice hesitantly came through the receiver.

"I would say Yang is about 5'8 with long, blonde hair. Her eyes are a light purple color, and I know that Ruby has mentioned Yang's mother's name is Raven."

Ozpin watched as Taiyang took a deep breath before he suddenly fell back to the floor with a loud thud.

"Tai?!" Summer rushed to her husband's side as he lay on the floor. Ozpin calmly turns back to the phone.

"Well it has certainly been a great day for surprises. Once Tai is recovered enough to sit in a chair I think we would all love to hear how this latest development came to be, Ms. Schnee."

* * *

Weiss discreetly rubbed her sweaty palms against the fabric of her pants. She had not expected to actually talk with Ruby's parents and she could not deny that she felt nervous. She was torn about just how much she should reveal about Ruby's current life, but she also wanted to get a feel for the kind of people Summer and Tai were before trying to re-introduce them to each other. She already had a good feeling about them, but it was hard to gauge how anyone would react to the life Ruby led; let alone her own parents. She also ran the risk that Ruby's life was a lot more complicated than she let on, and dropping her parents on her suddenly could be a very bad move.

Through the phone they could hear when Tai regained consciousness- she still could not believe that the man fainted- and he rasped with a choked voice.

"They're together? Has Raven somehow had them both in Vale this whole time?"

Her eyes flicked briefly to Qrow as he gave a surprised noise, and she remembered that Raven was his sister. She frowned slightly as she thought about what she knew about Yang.

"They've been together for probably just under ten years, but Yang's mother isn't around. Ruby told me that Raven left Yang under an overpass one night and never came back before they ever met."

The silence that followed was broken only by a harsh curse from Qrow. She winced as she imagined how much hearing that must have hurt. She had felt pained herself when she imagined a younger Yang waiting for a mother who wasn't coming back. She hoped that reconnecting the girls with their family could heal some of the emotional wounds they undoubtedly had.

"How have they been together then? Ruby hadn't fully understood that she had an older sister when she went missing." Summer's voice came through the phone, sounding perplexed.

"They don't realize that they are actually related, even though they already call each other sisters. Apparently they met on the streets and just latched onto each other. They have been taking care of one another ever since."

Qrow, Summer, and Taiyang all began to ask questions at once before Ozpin's voice broke through.

"Ms. Schnee, I know that you must have already told Qrow plenty, but would you be willing to fill us in on what you know of Yang and Ruby?"

Weiss spent the next several minutes telling them about what she knew of the sisters. She left out everything to do with Oakmont and their jobs, but tried to fill the spaces in about who they were as people. Yang's love of puns, and how she had surprising depth of character. Ruby's shyness, and her protective nature. She hesitantly mentioned Yang's girlfriend Blake, and was relieved when there was no negative reaction to the news. She smiled as she recounted some of Ruby's more excitable quirks.

"Ruby and Yang are also surprisingly stubborn. They don't accept anything they see as charity, and they refuse to give anyone the chance to say that they are lacking somehow. Ruby told me that… they have never gone to school, but Yang still buys old school textbooks so that they can teach themselves whatever they need. Ruby has even pointed out mistakes I have made on my own trigonometry homework." She said that last bit proudly; happy to show them that their daughter was quite intelligent despite the lack of schooling.

The air was silent for a moment before Weiss heard a few sniffles over the line followed by a small hiccup.

"They sound amazing. They must have been through so much." Summer's voice was thick with tears, and she could hear Taiyang blowing his nose loudly in the background.

"I think they are the most amazing people I've ever met," she assured Ruby's mother.

Through the phone she could hear Ozpin clear his throat softly. "Thank you for doing this Ms. Schnee. I have just a few questions if you don't mind."

She assured that she would be glad to, and she decided that she would tell them about Oakmont if any of the questions could only be answered by revealing their jobs.

"Based off of your experiences with them and their version of home-schooling, at what level do you think they could attend in a formal school?"

Her eyes widened slightly. "I would say that they are both fairly equal in regards to their level of education. I don't have a complete picture of just what subjects they know, but I can say that they could easily fit into my own grade at Signal."

"Very good." She could almost hear the gears turning in his head through the phone. He had said that far too contemplatively to not be planning something.

"One other question then Ms. Schnee. How have they been living all of these years? You don't talk about them as if they are homeless, but you have made no mention about how they support themselves."

This is the kind of question she had dreaded answering. She felt wrong telling their secrets, even if it was to their own parents. This was all necessary though, if she wanted to make sure that Ruby and Yang would be going back to a loving and supportive home.

She hesitated slightly, and in the pause Ruby's mother's voice came over the phone in a rush. "I would also like to know how you met them as well. I'm just…really curious."

Summer's voice had trailed off bashfully at the end, and for a second she could almost see Ruby rubbing the back of her head as she laughed nervously. Summer had sounded so much like Ruby in that moment that she giggled lightly. A warm smile spread across her lips as she remembered the first time she met Ruby.

"My car broke down in the middle of the night while I was driving through downtown Vale. Before I could call for a tow truck two men came up to me and began to… let's just say harass me. Just as I began to feel actually afraid Ruby came to my rescue. Yang only got involved because Ruby did, but in the end they both chased away those men and Yang managed to patch my car enough for me to get it home." She smiled at the memory, Yang going from reluctant to caring in the span of a few minutes. She still remembered how impressed she had been by Ruby's ability to control that fight.

"How did they manage to scare off two grown men?" Qrow interjected. He looked at her expectantly. "Ruby is only fifteen, and Yang should be seventeen. Not saying I'm not glad they helped you, but it seems reckless of them to put themselves in danger like that. Sad to say, but most street kids I've come across have a very strong sense of self-preservation and aren't in the habit of helping others."

She frowned slightly and narrowed her eyes. "Don't call them that."

She blinked when her words were echoed through the phone by Summer. Apparently Ruby's mother had not liked that phrasing any better than she did.

She focused back on Qrow. "Don't say 'street kid' like it's some kind of mark against their character. I get why you said it, but they are so much more than what that phrasing implies. I'm sure they have done some…questionable things to survive, but I won't hold it against them."

Qrow held up his hands. "Hold up, I didn't mean anything by it. I think we all agree that short of them murdering people we would forgive anything they've done to get by. I just thought that it was a bit strange because usually young kids in those neighborhoods don't put themselves at risk like that; especially young girls who are more likely to be targeted by those kinds of people in the first place."

Small noises of acknowledgement came over the phone, and she nodded as she understood his reasoning. She agreed that had Ruby and Yang not been the obviously skilled fighters that they were they probably would not have come to her aid that night. She remembered how she had seen other people on that street, adults even, who had done nothing to help her. She had never really thought about it before, but self-preservation and apathy must be common traits for people who live in such a dangerous environment.

She could even see how Ruby, Yang, and even Blake had those same traits to a degree. They accepted violence as a part of their lives, and they protected themselves from both emotional and physical harm. She was just lucky that they also had a protective streak, and a strange honor system she had slowly noticed the longer she knew them.

"Qrow is correct when he says we would forgive them for almost everything they may have had to do to survive all this time. Do their abilities in aiding you that night pertain to my earlier question?"

Ozpin's voice was calm and sincere over the line. She hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to best explain their situation.

"Ruby has only told me so much. She still has a lot of secrets, but she did tell me what they do for work." She tensed slightly, still uncomfortable with telling their secrets.

"There is a…gambling den of sorts somewhere downtown. It's not a regular place for gambling though. It's a fighting ring of some kind, where people bet and watch young women fight." She swallowed when she saw Qrow's hands clench tightly, though his face didn't betray any emotion.

"Yang and her girlfriend Blake are fighters, popular ones if what they tell me is true. Ruby collects the bets at night, and then delivers people their winnings in the morning."

Qrow gave a low curse and shook his head. "How did they get mixed up in a place like that?"

She frowned as she thought back to a few conversations she remembered about their circumstances. "I think it all started when they were still really young. Ruby said that they used to work in a chop shop for the guy who also runs the fight ring. I think they switched when they got older because it pays better."

She scowled as she recalled another bit of information that still made her angry when she thought about it. "Ruby also told me that the apartment building where they live is also owned by Oakmont- they're boss. He takes their rent right out of their pay, which I'm assuming is already a paltry amount given that they are always trying to save money."

For the first time in a while Taiyang's voice came over the receiver. "Oakmont, Oakmont…why does that name sound familiar?"

"Cuz' he's the leader of the second largest crime organization in Vale. Remember Tai? How did you ever manage to become a police officer?" Qrow's sardonic tone caused Weiss to raise an eyebrow.

"I was focused on Fall! Besides, Oakmont is more of a petty annoyance than a crime boss." Weiss' other eyebrow rose at the sullen return.

"A petty annoyance that is now employing your daughters in a secret gambling den that exploits violence."

A beat of silence, and then Taiyang's voice boomed over the phone. "HE'S GONNA PAY FOR THIS! Summer, where did I put my service pistol?!" A series of crashes could be heard, and Weiss could only assume that the man had begun to knock things over in his search. Sighs could be heard from Summer and Ozpin as the series of crashes moved further away from the phone.

Weiss grinned to herself at the man's antics. This was everything she could have hoped for from the sister's parents. As silly as Taiyang's actions may seem it showed that he was fully prepared to fight for his daughters if necessary.

"Ms. Schnee- Weiss," She started when Ruby's mother addressed her by name. "This might be silly to ask, but are they…safe? They don't get hurt…do they?"

Ruby's face covered in bruises and a bloody bandage flashed in her mind. That first night when she had seen the dark bruises covering Yang's abdomen also flashed in her head as she felt her own concerns mirror the worry in Summer's voice. Her hands clenched in her lap.

"I think that things are getting worse for them. At least…worse for Ruby. She isn't a fighter herself, but she keeps getting injuries that even Yang doesn't know how she got. It's one reason I was so eager to find you guys. I don't want them to get hurt anymore."

"I think we all agree that they have gone through more than enough." Ozpin's calm voice held a certain hardness to it. "There is much to plan to bring them back home. I think it best if Summer and Tai come back to Vale, and we must find a way to convince Yang and Ruby to meet with them."

"I'll see if I can get a look at them, Oz." Qrow's raspy voice was filled with determination. "I still have a few contacts that might be able to get me into this gambling place that Oakmont runs."

Weiss breathed a sigh of relief as it seemed that they were one step closer of getting Yang and Ruby away from the life they currently led. "I'll pass along anything else I think can help us get them to meet with you."

"Weiss, thank you so much for everything." Summer's voice was thick with emotion. "You don't know what this means to us, and if Tai would stop tearing the house apart he would tell you the same thing. I can't wait to meet you in person so I can thank you properly."

She blushed slightly at that. "I'm glad to help. It's not that big of a deal, honestly."

"You will be hearing from me soon Ms. Schnee. I think we have much to discuss in person once I return to Vale." With that Ozpin disconnected the call.

"You've done a great thing for us kid. I can't tell you what it means to all of us for finding them."

She turned to Qrow and gave a slight grimace. "I just hope that we can convince them to give you guys a chance. I didn't exactly get the impression that Ruby was dreaming of finding her parents again."

"We'll convince them. We won't give up until we do."

Weiss left shortly after that and headed home. She felt exhausted after the past several hours, but she also felt satisfied. Soon Ruby and Yang would be with their family again, and they would be happy.

* * *

Jacques Schnee read the report in front of him with interest. He raised his eyes to the young woman seated on the other side of the desk.

"Is this everything you were able to find out about her?"

Angry eyes met his. "There isn't really much to find out about her. Left on the streets as a kid, started working for Oakmont almost immediately after that, and now she works with her 'sister' in Oakmont's fight den."

"Hmmm, yes. The same fight ring where she took you down easily enough." He lifted a brow at her sudden snarl.

"The little bitch isn't even listed as a fighter! She's a courier, but somehow she and the blonde barbarian are in good with Oakmont. I was right there and saw the way that they mouthed off to him, and all they got was a week suspension."

"Still smarting over the beating you received Ash?"

He watched with only slight amusement as she gnashed her teeth in frustration. She huffed and crossed her arms.

"I don't get what their deal is anyway. She freaked as soon as she realized I had a knife in there, just like I had heard she would. Who works for a crime boss and doesn't expect weapons to be involved?"

He hummed at that and turned his eyes back to the report in front of him. "You may go Ash. Your payment will be wired into your account this evening, and I'll contact you if I need you to look into anything else."

He paid no attention to her as she left; instead he focused on the report on Ruby Rose. It was not often that his interest was piqued like this. He was glad that her fighting abilities seemed to be adequate, and he began to form a plan in his mind that seemed most entertaining.

"I think another trip to Vale will be most amusing," he mused to himself. A street kid with ethics and integrity was rare to find. He wondered just how much it would take to get her to go against her own strange honor code.

He chuckled to himself and turned to look out the window at the Atlas skyline. "Most amusing indeed."


	14. Chapter 14

"Where are we going again?"

Blake picked up her pace to keep up with her blonde girlfriend who was currently stalking down an empty side street with a scowl on her face. Things had been tense this whole past week and a half between Yang and Ruby, the former spending a lot of time in Blake's apartment than her own. After Ruby's outburst, and the subsequent argument the sisters had had after that the two were constantly walking around on eggshells with each other. Sometimes Yang would go off on her own claiming she needed to think about something.

Just twenty minutes ago Yang had come into her apartment, said something about finding the guy who hurt Ruby, and then stalked back out. She watched the side of Yang's face, took in the furrowed brow and the deep frown on her face. When Yang didn't seem to hear her question she reached out and grabbed the blonde's hand. Pulling her to a stop she met the glare aimed at her impassively.

"Where are we going Yang?"

Yang ground her teeth together in frustration. "I've been asking around about someone who fights with metal plating on their legs. Not like that's a common thing you know? Well, I found someone who says that sounds an awful lot like one of Cinder Fall's personal guards. Do you know who Cinder Fall is?"

She slowly shook her head warily as Yang continued her rant.

"She's the biggest crime boss in all of Vale! Not like Oakmont either; he's mostly an annoying cheap bastard, but Cinder is the kind of boss fuckin' movies are made about! She's not as bad as her father, but there are still a number of people around here who are missing a few fingers thanks to her."

She watched as Yang began to pace back and forth in aggravation. "Why the fuck is Ruby fighting one of her personal guards? Is this why Ruby has been so aggravated and distant lately? Is Cinder hurting her for some reason? I have to know!"

Yang shouted that last bit into the open air before her shoulders slumped and she breathed heavily for a few moments. Blake cautiously stepped forward and put her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "So we're going to confront the most dangerous person in Vale about whether or not she has been harassing Ruby?"

She kept her voice neutral to avoid riling Yang up any further. Lilac eyes met her own, almost pleading with her. "I don't know what else to do. Ruby won't talk to me, and this whole past week and a half since that little fight in the park she's been sullen and moody."

"Why now, Yang?" She met those lilac eyes with her own curious gaze. "Why choose now to actively find out what has been happening to Ruby? Does this have anything to do with what Ruby said in the park that day, about getting out of this life?"

Yang gave a heavy sigh as she looked up at the sky like she was searching for the answer she wanted.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "It does. A few years ago- Gods it feels so long ago- we had this crazy idea that we could save up enough money to get a better apartment and stop working for Oakmont. We'd save enough to cover expenses until we found real jobs, and then we'd just live a normal life."

Blake just watched as Yang's features became slightly mocking. "Yeah, because so many people are going to hire a kid with no education, no work history, and no family. I grew out of that pipe dream; I know that there's no way it would ever work. I guess Ruby has held onto it though. I mean, no one _wants_ to be in our situation, but we can't really expect better now can we? I'm just afraid she might have done something stupid to try and make it work."

This was the first time she had seen Yang so… she didn't want to say defeated, but she was so _resigned_ to this life she couldn't see anything beyond what she was familiar with. Blake understood; that's what her thinking had been like in the White Fang before she ran away. It wasn't really an acceptance of the way things were, but more a loss of hope that things could get better. Yang had always seemed so carefree in a way that Blake had never thought that this is what she truly felt like.

It would also explain Ruby's actions lately. If Ruby really was connected to Cinder Fall in some way because she had been trying to find a way out, maybe it was because she knew Yang had stopped trying herself. If there was one thing she had absolutely no doubt about Ruby it was that she was surprisingly protective. When she had rushed into her fight with Ash that night Blake had been stunned. She had heard about Ruby doing the same for Yang once upon a time, but to have the same reaction turned towards her felt…good, and overwhelming somewhat. That night she had known that Yang and Ruby accepted her into their lives in a way they hadn't let others, and she had never thought that anyone would care the way they did.

Knowing Ruby's protectiveness she could see how she might try to single-handedly pull both her and Yang out of the streets.

"I think-if you're right," she said carefully "then don't you think Ruby is doing what she is because she knows you stopped looking forward?"

Yang looked at her quizzically. "Yang, you can't stay in the Warehouse forever. The older you get the more Oakmont is going to ask of you, and you're not built for that kind of life. You're a survivor and a fighter, but you're also kind and compassionate. If you resign yourself to staying with Oakmont forever you're going to lose the best parts of yourself, and you know it. Ruby knows it. Whatever she's doing, I think she's trying to save both of you. She might be trying to give you a better future or maybe a chance at one."

Blake watched as Yang hung her head. There were a few moments of silence before the blonde lifted her head. Blake was shocked to see tears leaking out of her purple eyes.

"But I don't know what else I could do."

Moving quickly she stepped forward to wrap her arms around the crying girl. She knew it must have taken a lot for the blonde to cry in front of her, and it really spoke to just how much Yang must have been holding these feelings back. She felt her embrace returned lightly, and for a few moments they just stood there while Yang calmed down.

"Yang, have you talked to Ruby about how you're feeling?"

"No. I…just kind of hoped that she would forget about how we used to talk about being normal. I can't…I just can't give her the life she wants."

Blake stepped back and shook her head. Of course Yang would think of it like that.

"Ruby doesn't want you to give her anything. I know I haven't known her as long as you have, but I feel like I understand you both pretty well. Ruby would never expect you to do anything by yourself like that. She would want you to work together for it."

"But then why is she working by herself?! I have this bad feeling that Ruby is doing something she shouldn't, and she's doing it alone. If she would want us to work together why isn't she talking to me?"

Blake gave her a sardonic look. "Maybe because she thought you wouldn't approve? At least that's the only reason I can think of for why she has been so tightlipped about where she goes every day before she goes back to the Warehouse."

"Dammit!" Yang began to pace again. "That can only mean one thing, but I really hope I'm wrong. C'mon, we really need to get to Cinder's before work."

Seeing that Yang was a lot calmer, and less likely to get them killed by antagonizing a dangerous crime boss, she followed along.

Blake felt her ears struggle against the fabric of her bow as they walked further into the shadier part of the shady part of town. The air felt different here, more threatening somehow.

"Where exactly is this place?" Her eyes were trying to watch every shadow as the feeling of danger seemed to grow.

"It's just ahead. Cinder runs a similar operation to the Warehouse, but her place is called Ember. The biggest difference though is that weapons are encouraged here. The more bloodshed the better, and most fighters don't last long here."

"But…Ruby hates weapons. What exactly would Ruby be doing here?"

"That's what we're here to find out."

They moved down an alley and walked towards a large ram faunus standing outside of a door.

"I want to speak to Cinder." Blake's eyes widened at the forceful demand. The ram faunus just rolled his eyes.

"Beat it kid. Cinder isn't seeing anyone during business hours."

"This is a twenty-four hour establishment." The blonde deadpanned.

"Then I guess the boss isn't seeing anyone ever."

"Just tell her Ruby Rose's sister wants to talk to her."

He was about to respond before his eyes widened a bit. He looked at them for a moment before moving to the door. Another huge guard was just inside, and the faunus repeated Yang's message. He indicated to them to wait while the message was delivered.

Yang met her eyes with a pained expression. The guard obviously knew Ruby's name, which means she was right in that her sister must have some business here. Blake reached out and held her hand comfortingly.

A few minutes later found them being led inside. They decided it was a set up not unlike the Warehouse where the ring was set up downstairs from their current hallway, and the offices upstairs. Even though it was still technically early they could hear the sound of cheering through the walls as a match must have been going on.

Blake felt almost trapped as they ascended a thin staircase that led to a single door. She figured it might be a carefully planned set up to make 'guests' feel uncomfortable by narrowing any escape options. She felt the tension in her shoulders get even tighter as the door opened and they stepped inside. The chair at the desk was turned away from them, the only visible part of Cinder the very top of her head.

"Leave us," the woman said, sending chills down Blake spine. The voice wasn't particularly threatening in any way, but there was a malicious silkiness to it that set her teeth on edge. Glancing at Yang she saw that the other girl's jaw was set as she obviously gritted her teeth.

They man left as commanded leaving just the three of them in the room. Cinder turned around slowly.

"So what brings you to my humble establishment?" They were met with deep amber eyes and a mocking smirk as the woman regarded them from her chair.

Bake flinched as Yang stomped forward with a growl.

"Alright you cliché bad guy bitch, you're gonna tell me what you've done to Ruby or I'll rip your eyes out and make you watch as I tear you apart."

Blake blinked in bemusement as Cinder seemed to laugh in genuine enjoyment of the colorful threat. Yang glared at the older woman impatiently.

"That is one of the more interesting threats I've ever received. Tell me, just why do you think I've done anything to your sister?"

"Don't play dumb with me! Ruby has been disappearing during the day for a few months now; always with more and more bruises and cuts. Then her head gets split open by 'someone who ties metal plates to his legs'." Yang stomped forward and placed her hands forcefully on the desk as she leaned her face closer to Cinder's. "Now who else in Vale wears metal plates on his shins besides your personal fucking lackey?"

Blake caught just the barest twitch in Cinder's expression during Yang's outburst. It happened so fast that she almost thinks she imagined it, but for a split second there was a flash of regret on the older woman's otherwise unperturbed face.

"You didn't want Ruby to get hurt," Blake mumbles, but given the two sets of eyes that turn her way it was not as quiet as she intended. Deciding it would just be better to state what she was thinking she moved forward. "You regret that Ruby got so injured, but that still means that you had something to do with it."

The crime boss leaned back in her chair and gave them an unreadable stare. "What business is it of yours what happened to Ruby? She obviously has not told you anything which means she doesn't want you to know. Why should I tell you anything?"

Yang snarled and banged her hands on the desk once more. "I'm her sister! Ruby wouldn't be in a place like this unless she had no other choice. She'd never have anything to do with someone like you; so tell me what you've done to Ruby!"

"I suggest you step back before I decide to make you incapable of taking a step at all." Blake fought down her dread at those words to walk up to Yang and pull her back slightly. Cinder's deep amber eyes were like cold agates staring back at them. She gave a small sigh of relief as Yang seemed to catch on to her unease and reached down to take her hand and give a gentle squeeze.

A few tense moments passed before Cinder seemed to relax. The older woman sighed and looked at Yang thoughtfully. Standing up she walked to the look out the window that was behind her desk. Blake could only assume it looked down at Ember's fighting ring; Cinder didn't seem like the type who wouldn't want to keep an eye on the goings on in her club.

"I've known Ruby for a few years now." She turned to look at Yang. "I suppose she never told you, but given what I have seen and heard of your temper I can only assume that Ruby didn't want to start any conflicts."

Yang gave an unapologetic shrug; causing Cinder to let out a small chuckle. "Ruby spoke of you often enough to know that she cares for you more than anything, but even back when I first met her she had things she didn't want to tell you. At the time we were both dealing with our own emotional issues; I won't go into details but Ruby helped me through mine."

"I already know Ruby is great; what does this have to do with anything?"

Cinder rolled her eyes. "She did say you didn't have any patience. I'm explaining that I actually have a soft spot for the stubborn girl. I haven't done anything to her, and she's been coming here of her own free will."

Blake stepped forward. "She's a fighter here, isn't she? You gave her a job as a fighter and that's how she keeps getting injured."

"She asked for the job, and I gave it to her."

"Why?" Yang stepped forward again. "Why would you give her the job? You had to have known that she couldn't handle being a fighter, especially not in a place like this. If you had a soft spot for her as you claim then why would you put her in a position where she would get hurt?"

Cinder looked at Yang with disdain. "Can't handle being a fighter? She's probably the most capable fighter here. She's only lost one fight since she started here, and that was her first day back after her break."

Yang's eyes widened as Cinder began to stalk closer until she was practically nose to nose with her. "Have you been looking down on her all this time? Did you think she was weak? Did you think she would need your protection forever, or did you want her to need you forever? Sometimes people get hurt, but those that keep getting up and moving on are stronger than anyone." Cinder reached out and grabbed a handful of Yang's shirt, pulling her just a little closer. "That's the kind of person Ruby is. She is more capable of anything than anyone I know, and I can't believe that you- her so called sister- would dare think she couldn't handle being a fighter when that's who she is."

Cinder pulled on Yang's shirt and dragged her over to the window. Blake watched as Cinder somewhat shoved Yang towards the glass and made her look down. Yang gasped and Blake hurried over to see what was happening. Following the blonde's line of sight she looked upon a set up similar to the Warehouse with a series of stands set up around a central cage where two figures were wrestling on the ground. Her eyes widened as one of the figures broke free from the other and quickly stood up, revealing a familiar face.

"Ruby…"

* * *

Yang stared down at the ring. Ruby had just gotten to her feet when she landed a heavy kick to the figure still on the ground. She flinched internally when her sister reached down to grasp at her opponent's shirt, using it to pull the girls head off the ground just so Ruby could place a few heavy punches to the girls face. Even from here she could see the steely glare that Ruby had on her face as she released the other girl's shirt and watched her fall limply back to the floor.

She blinked as Cinder pushed her away from the window, and watched numbly as the crime boss opened the pane of glass a crack to call down to the floor 'Rose's' victory. Yang stepped back up the window once it was shut and saw Ruby crouch down next to the crumpled girl on the floor. Someone entered from a door that must lead to the lounge area, and together Ruby and the newcomer carried off the unconscious girl.

Even after Ruby had disappeared she continued to stare down at the ring. Bloodstains covered the floor in various spots, some newer than others. Turning back to Cinder she glared into those cold orange eyes.

"It's never been about Ruby's strength! I know how capable she can be! I'm more concerned about her emotional well-being!" She stalked closer. "She doesn't like to hurt people! If you know her as well as you say you do why would you let her fight here?!"

Cinder met her eyes steadily. "Why would she feel she had to come to me for a job in the first place? She asked for the job, remember?"

Yang took a step back at that question. "How do I know you're not lying about that? Ruby hates using weapons in fights. She says it's underhanded, and it only detracts from the skill a fighter can learn using just their bare hands. Knowing that I can't believe she would willingly work here."

She felt Blake walk up next to her and take her hand; she squeezed it gratefully. Cinder merely tsked at her words and rolled her eyes.

"Tell me something, Yang. Why isn't Ruby a fighter over at the Warehouse?"

"I already told you, she can't handle being a fighter. Her attitude these past few weeks is only proof." She said stubbornly, though a slow sinking feeling was beginning to form in her stomach. She couldn't hold Cinder's gaze as the woman walked closer.

"Is that it? You decided that she couldn't handle it, never gave her a chance to prove herself, made her feel as though her only option was to come to me and ask for a job." Yang flinched when the older woman poked her in the chest to emphasize her next words.

"You took her choices away. If anything _you're_ the one who forced Ruby to work here. She could be one of the best fighters the Warehouse has to offer, but you didn't want that to happen did you? No, you like being the one who earns the most money; who _provides_ the most. You can feel better about yourself by making Ruby dependent on you; taking away the possibility that she could fend for herself."

Yang's blood boiled. She grit her teeth and stomped up until she was nose to nose with the crime boss. "That's not true!"

They glared at each other, and even though they were already so close Cinder found a way to inch closer in challenge. "I don't even know what Ruby is still doing with you. I know for a fact she has earned enough money here to strike out on her own if she wanted to. She doesn't _need_ you -," "SHUT UP!"

Her breath came in enraged pants and she backed away to pace because if she didn't she thought she might actually attack the older woman. The same bouncer who led them in burst in the door, taking in the situation with a quick glance and relaxing when his boss was in no immediate danger. Cinder waved him away, but Yang quickly grabbed Blake's hand and dragged her towards the door. " I'm grabbing Ruby and getting out of here."

"She already gone," Cinder called to her. She paused in the doorway and glared over her shoulder. "I had her paid out and sent home as soon as her fight ended. Knowing her she's probably already half way to that pathetic job you force her to keep."

She growled and hurried down the stairs. When they finally made it to the street outside she released her girlfriends arm and began a quick pace towards home. After several moments of silence she heard Blake heave a heavy sigh. "Well we didn't die."

She snorted at that and met the amber eyed girl's sardonic look before rolling her eyes. Blake merely raised an eyebrow and reached out to touch her shoulder. "You want to tell me why you lost it back there?"

She looked down at her feet as they walked. Blake seemed to understand that she needed a few minutes to gather her thoughts, and the more she thought the heavier that sinking feeling her stomach got. Finally she looked at Blake. "Do you think she's right?"

"Do you?" The response was immediate, which let Yang know that Blake had already known what was bothering her, she just wanted Yang to work through it herself.

"No!" A few beats of silence passed before she growled in frustration. "I don't know!"

"Well I think that you need to think about it a bit more before you talk to Ruby. Don't take your frustration at Cinder out on her." The words stung a bit, but she nodded because she knew that Blake was right. She was still too worked up, and she didn't want to cause any more tension with her sister.

They were getting closer to the Warehouse now, and she turned to Blake one more time. "What do you think about what she said." The question was soft, but she knew her faunus girlfriend would hear it.

Blake stopped and turned to her. Her amber eyes met hers steadily before Blake suddenly leaned up to place a gentle kiss to her lips. "I think that you love your sister," she said when she pulled back. "Just keep that in mind as you think about why Cinder's words upset you so much."

Blake grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the dimly lit façade of the Warehouse. The weight in her stomach seemed to lessen, and she gave a gentle squeeze to the hand that held hers in silent thanks. Blake just flashed her a small understanding smile over her shoulder as they made their way down the stairs to begin work.

* * *

Qrow slumped in his seat and lifted his flask to take a quick sip. His seemingly drunken sprawl a fitting camouflage amidst the crowd at the underground fight den. He admitted that he was impressed with the set up that Oakmont had going on here. The bar where customers came in was a good cover for the fight ring located right underneath everyone's feet. He scowled briefly as he thought of the chunk of money he had to pay his contact on the street to get the secret to getting in here, but it was all worth it if he could get a glimpse of his friends long lost kids.

He scowled as the crowd roared in approval as the fight taking place in the makeshift cage came to a close. A dark haired girl with a bow had demolished the other girl, and Qrow was damned impressed with the skill level displayed, but knowing that these girls were all still teenagers left a sick feeling in his stomach. The men and woman in the crowd disgusted him, and if he didn't need to find Ruby and Yang he would have called the cops to raid the place hours ago.

His attention was grabbed as Oakmont came back to the middle of the cage and began his announcement of the next fighters.

"We've got a good one planned for you next, folks! It's a battle of the powerhouses! Arslan Altan versus Yang Xiao Long! Place your bets quick; these two gets antsy the longer they wait for a fight."

His eyes tracked the man as he headed back through the door that appeared to be the only exit or entrance into the cage. His heart began to pound slightly in anticipation. He would get to see Yang with his own two eyes for the first time since she was a toddler. If Yang was here then Ruby wouldn't be too far either; at least according to Weiss Schnee. He slowly scanned the crowd, keeping a special lookout for the kids wearing boxes moving throughout the crowd.

A young deer faunus came up to him, and as much as it pained him he put a few hundred on Yang. He felt dirty, but he needed to avoid suspicion while he was here. He knew from experience that places like this didn't take to kindly to people who just wanted to be spectators.

He continued his perusal of the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of a short mop of black and red hair. Weiss had said Ruby's hair was in a very shaggy pixie cut right now, and so far he hadn't caught sight of it. A small commotion behind him had him turning around to see a man a few rows up had gotten upset over something and was taking it out on the collection kid. The faunus – who looked maybe fourteen to Qrow – was visibly shaking as he repeatedly pointed at his notebook.

Catching a bit of the argument over the sound of the room he discovered that the man was insisting that he gave the kid a couple hundred more than he wrote down, and the kid was defending that he wrote down the correct amount. He was going to ignore it – things like this happened all the time in these places – but then the man reached out and grabbed on of the faunus' antlers and gave him a shake.

Deciding he couldn't ignore abuse like that he began to stand when a figure came from nowhere and latched onto the man's wrist. Qrow felt his legs shudder in shock as he looked at the girl's face. Shaggy black and red hair, dainty features, and bright silver eyes. There was no mistaking that face, and he had to fight down the urge to run to the girl and grab her in a big protective embrace.

He watched as the man seemed to shrink in on himself when he met the silver eyed glare the young girl was leveling at him. She stepped protectively in front of the faunus; which Qrow found strange given she much shorter than both of them, but the man seemed cowed by her presence. His curiosity burned and he found himself climbing the few rows to reach them. He got there just as Ruby pulled off her own collection box and traded it with the now stunned faunus.

"Ok sir, now we're going to go up to the collections counter to open this up. I'm going to count the money inside, and if everything matches up with what is written in the book you will forfeit a hundred dollars of your bet as an apology to Colton."

The man eyes widened and he opened his mouth to argue, but Ruby held up a hand sharply and her glare intensified. Even Qrow could have been intimidated by that look, and he ached inside to see the young girl have such hard and cold eyes.

"IF," she continued, "the book is under what is in the box we will add a hundred dollars to your bet. Is this agreeable?"

Everyone within hearing distance could understand that she wasn't really asking, and a few snickers at the man's expense could be heard. His lips quirked as well as he saw the grown man intimidated by the small girl. She gestured for the man to go up first and before she could turn to follow the faunus boy caught her arm.

"Ruby, I'm so sorry. I know I wrote the right numbers down. I used those counting tricks you taught me and everything!"

Almost like magic Ruby's cold expression melted into the purest smile Qrow had ever seen, and she reached up to pat the boys cheek gently. "I don't doubt that for a second. Finish my section for me?"

The boy nodded before scurrying off. He followed the boy with his eyes before turning so he could follow Ruby upstairs, but he startled when his eyes met an impassive silver gaze. Ruby was looking right at him, and he tried to casually slide his past hers as if they had just happened to meet eyes in the crowd. After a few more seconds she turned and continued her trek after the disgruntled patron.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He may have been a little rusty at undercover work, but he knew he was still better than most at blending into the background. He had made a living at being good at going unnoticed, but she had picked him out immediately. The kid was observant, and apparently had a reputation among the patrons if she was able to just step in and take over that situation without too much fuss.

He made his way back to his seat figuring it best to not follow her. He filed everything he had just seen into the back of his brain when two figures stepped out into the arena. He felt as if he had just been sucker punched in the gut when he saw the spitting image of his sister step into the middle of the floor. The only differences being her wild blonde hair, purple eyes, and the muscular build.

After the fight began he watched in awe as Yang fought. He knew how to fight, had trained for years in the police force, but the level of skill and strength being performed in the arena right now made him doubt he would win if he went toe-to-toe with her. His nieces were damned impressive, and he couldn't wait to report back to Summer and Tai about his findings. They both looked healthy – not accounting for the various scars and bruises they had – carried themselves with confidence, and had skills that could rival someone much older than them he was sure. He hadn't even officially met them yet, but what he saw made him grin.

They seemed like good kids.

* * *

A/N

 **Don't hate me because I am ending it here! Sorry it's taken so long to get here, and there isn't much. School starts back up next week, and I really wanted to get something posted before it began. I mean over 5,000 words has to count for something right?**

 **So I know some of you will be disappointed in Yang's reaction so far to finding out Ruby's secret, but just know there is a time and a place for everything. It might not be the big explosion of anger everyone was expecting, but I am planning for it to be really nice and angsty/emotional. Also I am planning some official progress next chapter on the Whiterose relationship, and I hope no one is too mad that the bumblebee ship has progressed more than the main relationship.**

 **Thank you guys so much for all the reviews and favs/follows. I love how even after I haven't updated in while I still get notifications for new followers.**


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